The Class of 2022: The First Senior Class at ACP High School

Finally! A new year, new faces, new campus, it’s so exciting to finally be out of online learning and socializing with people after almost two years. During the assembly on the first day of school, the senior class of 2022 celebrated our new campus with all of us. Though a lot of us miss the small campus we had, it’s important to experience change, even in school. Frankly, I believe not many people are giving the Class of 2022 the credit they deserve. It can be pretty difficult as a senior having to change school locations and adapting to everything again, even though it won’t matter that much once they’ve graduated. In order for our first senior class of ACP High School to get some representation, today’s interview gets to know three seniors of the Class of 2022: Gabby DeMoss, Annika Trenbeath, and Rishita Gavara.

Q: How does it feel like to be the first senior class at the new campus? Do you think you have a lot of expectations to meet?

Gabby: It feels really exciting to be the first senior class at the new campus. I’m very proud of the Class of 2022’s efforts to make our new campus a fun and invigorating environment. I think that rather than having a lot of expectations to meet as a senior, I have a lot of expectations with being first graduation class of the new campus.

Annika: It definitely feels surreal starting my senior year at a new campus. I know that typically students in grades below seniors look up to them for help with campus layout and classes, but I can’t help the student body with half of that, haha. It is somewhat bittersweet being the first senior class on campus because I’ve been at the old campus for five years and I miss it so much.

Rishita: It feels kind of weird because the location that we’ve gotten used to for the past three year is no long our school anymore. I suppose one of the expectations that are placed upon not only me, but the rest of the student body is that we’re not getting lost around the campus anymore, even though others and I still get lost when trying to get to our classes.

Q: What do you think of the old campus? Were there any memorable moments made there? Do you miss some aspects of the old campus?

Gabby: I really like the old campus, even if it is small and quaint. I’ve been at the old campus since the seventh grade, so a lot of memorable moments were made there. The homecoming dances and spirit weeks, for example, are some of my favorite memories of the old campus.

I miss the fact that I didn’t get lost at the old campus, but I guess I’ll get used to our new campus soon.

Annika: I love the old campus so much. It was small and cozy, and I was really looking for a school that had a small student body and campus. I have so many memories there with my friends and because of the small size, I knew a lot of people and was close with a lot of people as well. I enjoyed eating lunch with my friends and just stopping to talk in front of the gym every passing period between periods 2 and 4 last year. I miss the band room and going into the lockers to take funny pictures. I miss hanging out in the tight art storage room with my friends during Success and club time.

Rishita: The old campus was really fun since it was smaller and everyone seemed closer together, both literally and figuratively. We’ve grown so much from that and it’s nostalgic to look back onto.

Q: Do you think you’ve grown during Covid-19 and during your high school career? Has your perspective on some things changed? Are you excited for the future?

Gabby: I’ve definitely grown as a person during Covid, and my high school career has definitely added to my knowledge and abilities. My perspective of some things have certainly changed. Covid made it really clear that life is fragile, which has made me appreciate mine more. I’m very excited for the future! I can’t wait to graduate and head off the college.

Annika: I feel like Covid has set me back in a few ways. I went to in-person school all last year-when it happened-and it was weird socializing with people after months of not seeing them face-to-face. I had to reacquaint myself with the right things to say. I also extremely struggled with trying to understand people with masks as I lipread. My grades were probably lower than they would have been in a school year without Covid. My perspective on how to treat people has also changed, as I reteach myself how to respond to people in a “right” way. I tried to educate myself as much as I could on the social injustices that skyrocketed in media attention over quarantine.

Rishita: My perspective has surely changed during Covid, mainly my social interactions with other people. Before, I used to never talk to new people and Covid has shown me how short this life really is, as well as the importance of making life-lasting connections with other people, which has led me to make new friends after returning from quarantine.

Q: What are your plans for the future, if you’ve gotten that far? Is it scary? Exciting?

Gabby: I plan to go to college in California and major in biology! It’s a bit scary to think about if I’ll get into the schools that I want to go to or not, but it’s equally as exciting.

Annika: My plans for the future are very spotty currently, as I have many options for what I want to pursue. I really want to go to art school as well as minor in zoology to become an exhibit specialist at a zoo. From school pressures to familial pressures, it’s terrifying. I feel like I have to make a choice immediately and that I don’t have time to dilly dally.

I still want to be a teen and live my senior year to its fullest.

I want to be carefree but I worry so much about the future. I want to dodge the future questions I get asked from family and friends.

Rishita: My plans for the future are scary in my opinion because if I can commit to sticking to one career for years and years. Currently, I’m thinking about going into business law since it seems really interesting to me.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to yourself five years ago? 

Gabby: Five years ago, I would’ve been 11; I would tell myself that I can always reach out to the people in my life if I ever need help of encouragement.

Annika: Let things work out. Don’t force things. Embrace yourself but in a way that isn’t obnoxious. Your high school experience is going to just fly by. Make the most of it and don’t just sit back all the time. Push yourself out of comfort zones.

Rishita: I would tell myself to make smart choices and plan carefully since many of the decisions we make affect our life in the future, and we can’t turn back time after that.

These last two years have been pretty hectic, to say the least. Though Covid is still present among us, hopefully, we’ll be able to go back to some sense of normalcy. As we begin to emerge back into live learning, and speaking to people in-person, it’s important to remember to stay safe and mindful of your peers. It’s also important to celebrate a new year in our new school, since we are the first generation of Knights on this campus. Keep our campus clean for the next to come, and take care of yourselves. As always, remember to strive for the impossible and be extraordinary, Knights!