Senior High: “The Roller Coaster Ride”

By: Kyle Q. Bautista

"It's not like High School Musical, at all."

This is me getting all excited about getting my graduation picture taken.

“Life is what happens while you’re busy making plans.”
-Anonymous

I’ve never actually planned to go to Cauayan City National High School for my Senior High School years, neither did I plan on taking Accountancy, Business, and Management.
But I’m glad that I did. My years in SHS were like a roller coaster ride. There were ups, and a lot of downs. But through it all, I survived.

How it started

I was in elementary when I watched the movie High School Musical, and naive little me thought that high school was going to be just like that (but of course without all the musical numbers). I used to believe that in high school *cue music* “Were all in this together”, but when it was time for me to step into it, I was proven wrong. It’s not like ~~High School Musical~~, AT ALL. There was more to it than just random musicals and positive viewpoints.

It was quite easier for me during Junior High School, so I thought that maybe Senior High was just like it. Turns out, SHS was on a whole new different level. I was a fool to think that I already know what my entire high school life would be like. With the new UPGRADED subjects in senior high (that in some I absolutely have ZERO knowledge in), the new teachers that I have to deal with, and the new faces that will go through senior high with me, I was absolutely terrified. And it didn’t help that my best friend ,who went to CCNHS as well for senior high, was assigned to another section. It’s a good thing though that I made new friends during my 11th grade there and during 12th grade, I made even more.

What little silly me thought

I used to think that to survive high school, all you had to do is:
#1- Go to school
#2- Don’t make a scene
#3- Pass all the subjects
#4- GRADUATE

But once again, Senior high school proved me wrong. Senior high gave me challenges that made these four easy steps hard to accomplish.

#1- Go to school

My SHS Journey wouldn’t be complete without the actual journey I had to go through everyday in order for me to get to school.
Going to school was harder for me during Senior High since we lived farther away from where the school is located. We live all the way in the village of Pinoma, and Cauayan City National High School is located in the city, which is atleast a 30-minute drive in a car or a 45-minute journey when you’re commuting by tricycle. And the fact that I had a hard time in waking up early wasn’t actually helping my case. I was mostly (around 93%) late during my 11th grade, and my friends always teased me and say that it’s a miracle when I get to school early (which was a rare occasion). But it’s a good thing that we have the afternoon shift of classes during 12th grade, that’s why I’m proud to say that I was rarely late during this school year (this is a new personal record for me).

#2- Don’t make a scene

I’m a shy type of girl, and I hated getting attention that I don’t want. But senior high decided to make me experience those. I was involved in a few embarrassing scenarios* during my senior high years, and some of them still haunt me (or just wouldn’t leave my mind and stay in a corner there) up to this day. Some of them even made me act different towards certain people or events.

*I’ve narrated a few of them in my SHS Journey video below.

#3- Pass all the subjects

For a girl like me who isn’t used to studying, this was very frustrating. I’m not used to making reviewers, highlighting different parts of my notebook/reviewer, and reviewing all night. When I was in junior high, listening to the teacher and scanning my notes a few minutes before the exam was enough for me. But senior high taught me how to do all those things I never (or seldom) did before.

SHS taught me how to:
make reviewers (and I’ve made a lot because of it), highlight my notes and said reviewers (I even used color-coding highlighting techniques), and review ALL NIGHT (sometimes I even take until 3 AM, with the help of coffee). Of course, there were a few occasional frustrated shouts and loads of tears were shed during the process. But they’re worth it just to pass the subjects.

#4- GRADUATE

The day that marks your high school completion is of course, GRADUATION (YEEEEY!!!)
And I was a fool to think that it was easier to achieve during the last months of SHS. Just when you thought that graduation was right around the corner, reality suddenly presents you with a list of things you still have to go through. And I’d be lying if I said that I’m not affected at all by this. To be honest, sometimes I just want to go to sleep and hope that when I wake up, everything is done. But that’s something that’ll only happen in the movies (*sings to Mr. Graduation* “if this was a movie, you’d be here right now…”)

But hey, I survived!

And I owe it all to my friends who helped make my SHS life bearable. Most of the fun times I had were because of them.* They helped me survive my journey. I couldn’t imagine my SHS life without my friends in it. They became a big part of this journey because they went through it with me. They were there with me during my SHS ups and my downs. They made the ride fun, exciting, and bearable. And I realized, it’s okay to look stupid or act funny, as long as you have friends that do it along with you.

*I’ve narrated a few of them in my SHS Journey video below.

There are a lot of things that happened during my Senior High School journey.

But SHS made me a more “honest” version of myself. It helped me discover my potential, gave me the time to know my worth, experience new things, and find friends that I never knew I could.
To sum it all up, Senior High School is like a roller coaster ride; it’s scary, it’s fun, and definitely better with friends. and at the end, you’ll know that all the ups, downs, and loops you’d have to go through are all worth it to see that smile on your parents’ faces during graduation.

This is it for my SHS journey. For a more detailed one, check out the video I made below.

This is Kyle Quijano Bautista, SIGNING OFF!