Arkansas High School 2024 Senior Perspective
Reflecting on my past four years at Arkansas High School, I realize how much the students and faculty have shaped my life. Attending a big 5A rivalry school like ours was always exciting, especially with the town's anticipation for the Arkansas vs. Texas games. But when I started high school, COVID-19 was still affecting everything, and things hadn’t returned to normal. On the first day of freshman year, I woke up not knowing what to expect. I had heard about high school my whole life—how it comes with many challenges and opportunities—but now it was finally my turn to start this new chapter.
As freshman year approached August 26th, 2020, I couldn’t contain my excitement to finally be a high schooler, but I knew things wouldn’t be the same. COVID-19 peaked at its highest during this time and changed how our school and community went about things. The school gave us the option to attend school virtually, hybrid, or face-to-face. The school experience was not what I expected it to be; in fact, it was something I could’ve never imagined. We were constantly being told to be 6 feet from others and always told to pull up our masks. It truly made it difficult to build connections and relationships with my peers. I tried my hardest to distract myself from COVID by participating in things such as cheer, student council, and even razorback TV. I didn’t let COVID get in the way of all the fun I tried to have.
Then came sophomore year, and everything was back to normal. It was a breath of fresh air as we weren’t required to wear masks anymore. The activities everyone had hoped for for freshman year finally started to come alive. Friday night lights were something I looked forward to every week. Waking up on the mornings of game days was a feeling that I can’t even explain. All the cheer practices that included blood, sweat, and tears led up to this very moment. Everyone dressed up to match the theme of what the football game would be for that night. The pep rallies came with a suspenseful energy that was like no other. The band, Redline, Cheerleaders, and even the student body played a huge role in building up the football players for the big game they looked forward to on Friday Nights. Game days included spending all day with the people I love! The cheerleaders had a huge impact on the spirit and energy that was to come for game days. The football games were, without a doubt, our favorite moment of the day. As a male on the cheer team, I often would find myself explaining if we were on offense or defense and even explaining what the flags meant in the game. It was truly an experience that I did not take for granted.
Junior year surely snuck up on me. I was finally an upperclassman. Everything seemed the same besides the idea of everything beginning to become more serious. I started taking more challenging classes and getting more involved in activities around campus. Taking more rigorous classes prepared me for my senior year and the things I had to do to be successful. Aside from academics, juniors often start exploring potential career paths and colleges. My extracurricular activities continued to play a significant role and helped showcase who I am as an individual.
Finally, the long-anticipated Senior year fell upon me. It is the year that most high schoolers look forward to the most. My senior activities started with me attending cheer camp. This was around the time I received the role of game-day leader for my cheer team. I had many expectations and responsibilities at this point. Some of those include making sure the team is ready and on time for games and practices, calling the cheers and chants throughout the games and pep rallies, writing the game plan for each game day, and assisting in choreography creations, formations, and pep rally plans. This was just a small portion of my role as the game-day leader. At the end of my last year at NCA Cheer camp, I realized my true talent and who I was as a person, leaving with many awards that I am thankful for to this day. Those awards included All American Cheerleader, “America Needs Cheerleaders” recipient, and Pin It Forward recipient; I even received an offer to try out for NCA staff. As I was making my schedule for senior year, I only needed a few more credits to make it through high school successfully.
At this point, high school felt like a breeze because of how much fun I was having—soaking up all the many memories and moments that came my way. One of my many goals was to become the senior class president, and that all came to reality when that finally happened. I know that I was the perfect fit to be a part of all the decisions and events that were held for the senior class, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience Arkansas High gave me. As senior year started to end, that’s when it all hit me. Many of my “lasts” started slowly approaching. The first was my last final pep rally. It was hard to think that I would never be in that environment with those people I spent many years with. I was grateful to receive the “Spirit of Trey” award towards the end of that pep rally. Then came senior sunset, homecoming, senior prom, and senior breakfast. During these events, I tried my best not to think about having to leave the students I had a part in leading and being a role model for. I often find myself supporting and guiding young men in the district by sharing the values of integrity and perseverance while having a strong desire to assist others in realizing their full potential. The final thing that I believe set me up for success after high school was being a part of a student body that played a huge role in deciding who our new superintendent would be. I believe it taught me many valuable skills that I will use for the rest of my life.
High school comes with difficult stages in life and sometimes hard challenges. I do not take anything for granted, from the start of my journey at Arkansas High to walking across the stage. High school is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. If it wasn’t for the staff and the Texarkana community, I would not have been shaped into the young man I am today. I will forever be grateful for Arkansas High and the lessons it allowed me to learn.
Once A Razorback, Always A Razorback!
