Chapter 4
Dear Class of 2020
When you first walk down the hallways, don’t worry about the grade 12s
Just because they’re screaming fresh meat doesn’t mean they’ll actually eat you
Most of them are vegetarians anyways
Dear class of 2020
As you walk through the doors and into the foyer
How funny it is we call it the matrix, as if it is some make believe playing game that you may die in if you’re not careful
Dear class of 2020
As I take my last few months here in this space as a high school student
You prepare to leave grade 8
You think you are on top of the world
But graduation is the accomplishment, moving on is not
Dear class of 2020
Here is something I learned in high school that 30 credits will never teach you
The very nature of a locker is to protect things you are hiding, things that are special and you don’t want people to steal
You think that it’s funny you can fit in them but it’s not
You are only teaching yourself to hide from strangers
Dear class of 2020
Don’t hide from strangers
Everyone is a stranger to you right now
You prepare yourself to fit into the fictional mold of high school student that Disney channel has provided
By the time you leave, you will also become a stranger to yourself, and that, my friend, you can never hide from
Dear class of 2020
Instead of sharing the space,
We are giving you our space to keep
You don’t have to return it
Dear class of 2020
Please take care of it
It meant everything to me
I expect it will mean more than anything to you
Dear class of 2020
As I first entered high school, I had a difficult time finding refuge in this school
I learned to put up the walls I didn’t know I was capable of building
I thought that this would be a temporary jail, and I didn’t allow myself to see the sanctuary of it all
Dear class of 2020
Please allow yourself to see the sanctuary of it all
Allow you to attach, allow yourself to find that candle in the midst of darkness, and allow yourself to become one with this place
Dear class of 2020
Please take good care of the gift we are giving you
Because one day you will have to give it to someone else and it’s a shame if you give it to them broken
//January 2016//
