I don’t know if I’m just a stupid nostalgic senior about to go to college, but it feels like everything is coming full circle. 

The other day, I went to Olathe East with my friend, Alyssa. Going to see their shows has been a tradition since our freshman year, when they did “Heathers.” Both of us thoroughly enjoy every show we see. But this time we saw “Clue.” 

The same show we did the fall of our freshman year. 

At the prom assembly, someone I knew in the band performance was wearing a flapper dress. This dress was used in “Singing in the Rain.” 

The same show we did the winter of our freshman year. 

In some senior English classes, they are reading “1984.” 

The same show we were supposed to do the spring of our freshman year — stupid COVID-19. 

It’s not just theater stuff that I’ve noticed throughout my senior year. 

As an IB English student, I have Mr. Pabst this year for English. Who did I have freshman year?

Mr. Pabst.

It may seem odd to point out these weird parallels between my freshman and senior year. But I look back at these things because I’m scared of the future. 

It’s not just going to a new school. It’s finding independence. It’s living away from home. It’s saying goodbye. 

Goodbye to Olathe East shows with my friend. Goodbye to weird conversations with Mr. Pabst. Goodbye to the Greg Parker Auditorium and all the shows I’ve done there. I’m not ready to say goodbye. 

After performing in “The Rehearsal,” I was awarded the Wandering Robe. I was ecstatic. I looked at past speeches and realized — time goes on. There will be future recipients of the robe and I will be back in the fall to award the robe to the next person. 

It’s not all goodbyes. Some things are gone, but as my high school years come full circle, a new loop is added to the messy paper chain of life.