Dear Archbishop Carroll High School, 

Archbishop Carroll has been my home for the past four years and it feels strange that I won’t be walking through these halls next year. I never let myself admit it, but I think I will miss Carroll. There were a lot of lasts this year; the last homecoming dance, the last Thanksgiving mass, the last spring break, the last prom, the last athletic season, and the last show. Coming to terms with not being able to do these events has been very difficult, but I know the next chapter will be full of even more memories. 

While writing this paper, I came across the term “windowing,” which comes from the “window of vulnerability” that occurs when people face large transitions. I’ve noticed how some people have been behaving as the school year ends- there’s seniors who are upset this is their final year, some who start to complain about everything and cannot wait to leave, some who refuse to participate in activities and classwork, and some who pretend they aren’t leaving. These reactions may sound dramatic, but I have gone through these types throughout my goodbye process. 

Now there’s certainly some things I’ll be glad to say goodbye to at Carroll, such as the mystery chicken nuggets, third lunch, having pop quizzes, pre-calc, overwhelming homework, exams on the last day of school, and the disarray of the bathrooms. But overall, I’ve started to notice the tiny comforting things that I will miss, such as the laughter at lunch, free periods with review games, seeing my friends after school at ACTS, going to dances, walking in the halls and seeing a friend, and all the times I was allowed to fall asleep in class. The one thing that held me together for four years at Carroll has been ACTS and no matter what college I go to, I know nothing will ever measure up to ACTS. Our theater society has been my home away from home, and having to say goodbye to the stage has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

For any underclassman, the one piece of advice I would say is get involved. Do that sport you wanna do. Join that club you were thinking about. The one thing that I wish I did at Carroll was get involved more. I am a part of a lot of clubs, but I wish that I had joined more. The best memories I have ever made at Carroll have been through the clubs I have joined. The friends I have met will be my lifelong friends and I will be sad to be letting some go. It’s bittersweet seeing the people you have grown with for 4 years going off and becoming their own person. Archbishop Carroll has shaped us and I cannot wait to see the amazing things that everyone will go on to do. 

Cherish every moment,

Ashley Palmer