Important Dates

Belvidere High School's commencement ceremony will take place on Friday, June 18 at 6:30 PM.

        A yellow sun sets over the horizon, the last one I shall ever see in this place. Standing in the ocean water, I can taste the future even before I set out to reach it.

        Floating in the water in front of me is a boat. I have been working on this boat since the beginning of the year, and many items adorn its sides, all representative of the things I have accomplished these last few years of my life. Looking down the shoreline, others are preparing theirs as well. Yet each one is different, unique in its own right, and some have been built better than others. Then again, some of us might also be sailing on harsher seas.

        Behind us, sitting on the sand, are the juniors. They watch curiously, for they know that their time will soon come as well. The only difference between us and them, however, is that they still have one more year. Some of the more ambitious ones already have their feet in the water.

        Standing on the boardwalk, leaning against the wooden fence, are the sophomores. They are in the midst of their high school careers, and the boardwalk bustles with activity underneath the night sky, opportunities for them abound. I watch as they laugh and play games, and the expressions on their faces are all too familiar: a look of homeliness. There is still much for them to do here, and though they have grown accustomed to this place, the end is the last thing on their minds.

        Pulling into the parking lot come the freshmen, extremely uneasy and uncertain. They are new to this place, and are just starting to walk toward the beach. It’s going to be a long journey for them, but little do they know how enjoyable that journey will be. Their uncertainties will soon be erased by their numerous experiences. Time will pass, and so too will their fears.

        At this point my boat is ready to set sail. I say my final goodbyes to all who have shaped my life these past few years; my best friends, teachers, and anyone else I have known up until now. It isn’t easy saying goodbye, but I have no choice. It’s a fact of life.

        I take the boat out into the seas, which, much to my surprise, are calm for the time being. I look back and notice that everyone is watching. To my left and right other boats are also on the move, some faster than others. As time moves on each one slowly fades out of view, every one going in a different direction. Soon enough, I am alone.

        After many days have passed by, I notice a strip of land over the horizon. Other boats, which I do not recognize, approach it as well. It would seem that this is my destination. As I land on shore, others do as well. When I finally feel I have settled in, I help another out of his boat and ask him a question. We do not know each other, but then again, does anyone at this point? He asks me if I’m ready for the future. I just smile, look behind me, and tell him it is easier than saying goodbye to the past.

        A few months later I return to the old shoreline I had left at Belvidere, but the beach is empty, the boardwalk is closed, and nobody is in the parking lot. Nothing but mere footprints adorn the sand, and even they are slowly being washed away by the ocean waters. Everybody is gone, doing whatever it is they need to do. I stand and think of the experiences I had here, both good and bad. I can’t help but wish some of them had turned out differently, but I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. Perhaps it is time that I move forward as well. Yet as I stood there, the immortal words of F. Scott Fitzgerald beat into the back of my mind like a drum, and I marching to every beat of them:

"And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

        But eventually the waves do push us forward, and we wash up on shore, awaiting our destiny.

Farewell!

-Justin Kiefer, Editor Scarlet Scoop 2009-2010 School Year