In all honesty, high school can be a hit or miss. Some high schoolers find themselves thriving, while others feel stuck in the same repetitive cycle.

Especially for students who have lived in Sandpoint most of their lives, the urge to get out of Sandpoint’s small mountain town can be massive.

It can be difficult to feel stuck with the same people, the same activities and the same places.

So many just want to leave, and believe that there are better things far beyond the Long Bridge.

This is natural, as teenagers are growing and changing people, but sometimes this anticipation for what’s to come can leave one miserable, and they begin to wallow in where they are.

There are many students at SHS who are always complaining about being stuck in high school, stuck in Sandpoint, stuck with such and such teacher, etc.

It’s easy for high school students to look at their current situation and complain about being stuck in something they find to be less than desirable, but this is where the idea of living in the present comes into play.

It is crucial that one must live in the present and learn to make the most of where they are currently in their life.

There is always something in the future that one will find more appealing than where they currently are, which is why they must learn to be happy where they are.

Anticipation is a part of life; looking forward to tomorrow makes sense, it’s a chance for us to start fresh, to explore new opportunities, and to grow.

However, in the midst of anticipation, people often miss out on the moments that are right in front of them.

There are countless opportunities each day that are overlooked because one may be focused on something else in the future.

After all, that’s why college is appealing to most, it is stocked with new experiences left and right, and it gives one a chance to learn about where they fit into the world.

While college and adulthood are certainly something to look forward to, it is each person’s own job to enjoy the gift of today. If each day, one wakes up and think to themselves: “Ugh, just another day at high school. Same as yesterday,” then they are the cause of their own misery.

Senioritis is not only limited to seniors, in fact: some high schoolers have dealt with it since freshman year.

High school is a period in a person’s life where most are simply trying to find their place in the world, and trying to find out who they’re going to be.

One cannot successfully do so if they are only focused on the person they will find five or ten years from now.

Each person’s responsibility is to know who they are now. If they find themselves stuck, complaining and whining about their situation, then it’s up to them to change it.

There are so many new things going on in the Sandpoint community each day that one can utilize to experience new things.

How one chooses to live today is what matters, not how they choose to live tomorrow, or the day after.