As a Class of 2024 graduating senior, I have recently been reflecting on my time at Heritage High School. There have been many great memories I have made and relationships that I will miss! I am thankful for the ways that students and staff at HHS have impacted me over the past four years.
Personally to me, Heritage has meant opportunity. I have had the joy of being involved in various clubs at Heritage during the past 4 years. From becoming a leader for FCA to being an active and passionate member in Varsity Club, I have been given the chance to grow in my leadership abilities and strengthen my character. There have also been many opportunities to volunteer and serve our community at Heritage. I have enjoyed getting to be a part of multiple different communities of people and hearing their stories. It has been a gift to leave my mark at Heritage. This year I have gotten to take the Teacher Cadet class at HHS, and it has been an INCREDIBLE experience. Through doing the Teacher Cadet class, it has enabled me to do in-person classroom experience in a seventh grade science classroom. I could go on and on to thoroughly describe the endless opportunities I have gotten by being a student at Heritage.
Although I know what Heritage has meant for me in my life, I reached out to some other Class of 2024 graduating seniors to see what Heritage has meant to them.
¨Throughout my four years at Heritage, I have learned things about myself that I hope to carry with me throughout my life. My freshman year was all online due to the pandemic causing my start to high school to be a bit abnormal. Going into sophomore year, I had not-so-high expectations. Despite the unusual start to high school, I now find Heritage to be a place of community and support. So many amazing teachers at Heritage have sparked many of my passions. My sophomore year world history class made me want to learn about ancient civilizations and humanity; my geospatial science class introduced me to a skill useful in the field I want to pursue. Additionally, I loved being a part of the Heritage community outside of academics. From class office, clubs, and other extracurricular activities, I tried to be involved in as many things as I could possibly be. Heritage has been a stepping stone for my future and created many long-lasting memories of friendship,¨ said Class of 2024 student Maisha Tasmi.
¨Heritage is a place of inclusivity and learning for all,¨ said Class of 2024 student Skylar Zelman.
¨To me, Heritage means family. During my time at HHS, I have been really involved in a lot of different clubs and organizations which have given me the opportunity to build strong, genuine relationships with some amazing teachers and students. The second family I have gained here at Heritage has left me graduating as a better person than when I first came in. I am so grateful for the happy memories, life-long friends, and amazing opportunities that my Heritage family has given me. I can confidently say that I will always be proud to be a member of the Pride¨ said Class of 2024 student Elyse Garcia.
¨Heritage has always been a place where I knew I could find community. There are so many opportunities here to do what you love, and I am so thankful to have found my place here- especially in the theater department, surrounded by people I consider a second family. Heritage has brought me together with some of my best friends, and given me a place to figure out who I am. I am incredibly thankful to some of the amazing teachers and staff who have made such an important impact on my life, going out of their way to make sure I am not only passing, but thriving at Heritage. I have always felt that Heritage truly does care about the community it has built, and I will certainly miss the little things like hearing ROAR PRIDE every morning when I graduate. Although I am a Hoo now, I will always be a part of the Pride,¨ said Class of 2024 student Caroline Tallungan.
¨Heritage has meant a lot to me! I was able to grow personally through the opportunities that Heritage gave me! I loved every experience that I had and I don’t regret any bit of it!! One thing that I want to emphasize is that Heritage gave me new friends that I’ll always cherish. Through clubs and activities and different classes, I was able to make friends from all different grades. I’m excited to leave and make additional new memoires, but I’m also a bit sad to leave because Heritage has helped my grow into the person I am today and I’ll never forget that,¨ said Class of 2024 student Erin Essiaw.
¨Heritage to me will always be special as it is a place where I learned and grew so much over the years. Heritage allowed me to grow and flourish into the person I am today through the support of my peers and teachers who I will forever be grateful for. Yes, Heritage will always be the place I went to high school, but more importantly it is the place where I started to find who I am in this world and what I want to do in the future,¨ said Class of 2024 student Jack Hoey.
We are bittersweet to leave the high school we have called our home for the past four years, but we know the connections and relationships we have made will last a lifetime. Thank you Heritage for being such a special place for us all. Class of 2024 out!
