Making the most of your Sahuaro experience: Advice from the Class of 2017.

Whether high school is the best four years of your school experience or the worst is ultimately up to you and how you choose to spend them. You create the memories you will look back on. Our seniors have the high school’s “do’s and don’ts” to help you make sure you get your Freshman year off to a great start.

Amanda Cardiel, track athlete: “Procrastinating is the worst and you should erase that word out of your vocabulary. Get every homework assignment done as soon as possible and out of the way with.”

Sierra Thompson, cross country runner:“Just be yourself, join clubs that suit your interests, and the rest will fall through when you find other genuine people that appreciate the real you.”

Alejandrina Bustamante: “Join clubs, go to football games, talk to people in your classes that you don’t know, and do your homework. You should have fun your freshman year, but never let having fun come before your homework.”

Danny Lochhead, Varsity soccer player: “When teachers give you lemons, make lemonade.”

Bailey Smith, basketball athlete: “Don’t make yourself known by being loud and obnoxious.”

Mikayla Suba, National Honors Society (NHS) President: “Enjoy it. It goes by so unbelievably quickly. Make your friends a priority as well as school, because they and the memories you make will be what you remember!”

Madi Baity, Student Council Senior President: “Make the best of these years because it goes by before you know it!”

Devan Gary, Student Council member: “Don’t be afraid to get involved. Do spirit weeks, get loud in student sections, go to school events – even if you’re intimidated by the upperclassmen. That was me freshman and sophomore year. Don’t be afraid to be goofy and have a ton of fun.”

Lanissa  Patterson, black belt karate star: “Don’t get too comfortable. Also, exchange kind words in the hallway.”

Camila Ibarra, Student Body President: “If you come to school and go straight home that’s pretty boring. Being involved, joining clubs with friends, and joining sports makes your high school experience a lot more fun and worth coming to school.”

Brannon Watters, Student Council member: “Make sure you get involved! Play a sport, join clubs, talk to a lot of people…make sure that you have some friends.”

Cienna Gartrell: “As a freshman, senior year feels like it’s forever away. But as the days turn to weeks, weeks turn to months, and months turn to years; you’ll be there in the blink of an eye. So enjoy every experience, big or small, that you may have. Join a club or play a sport if it interests you. Don’t turn down opportunities because you’re afraid to fail. Remember school is your first priority, so do the work and turn it on time. Be kind to everyone but keep a small circle of close friends. It may not be the best four years of your life, but enjoy it while it lasts because before you know it you’ll be sitting on the football field waiting for your names to be called.”

Alex Stone, Entertainment Editor of The Paper Cut: “Find your passion.”

Giselle Enriquez, Editor- in-Chief of The Paper Cut: “I think the best thing I’ve learned and would suggest at Sahuaro is to be proud. Be proud of what you are, be proud of your school, be proud of your community. And if you don’t like it, then do something about it.”

Lily Merritt, Student Council Senior VP:  “My biggest regret in high school is that I never branched out to new people, clubs, or activities until my senior year. Now that I am involved in Interact Club, Student Council, and The Paper Cut, I am so much happier with how I’ve turned my high school experience around; but it has also made me realize how much I missed out on for my first three years at Sahuaro. Being involved around your school makes you step outside of your comfort zone and meet new people, as well as experience new things. So be involved and learn to love your school and peers; participate in spirit weeks, don’t be afraid to try out for a sport, join clubs, go to as many games as you can, and work hard for the things you want, because the only person standing in your way is you.”