Class of 2025: Reminiscence and Reputation

As a senior who is getting bittersweet about leaving Broad Run, I have begun to look back on my previous years as a Spartan. So, whether you are a nervous freshman I once was, or a sad senior like I am now, I invite you to join me as we explore the past 4 years of the 2025 class of Broad Run through different seniors’ lenses and unlock more “behind the scenes” of our senior class. 

We started our year off fresh off from COVID-19 and online school. We entered the doors of Broad Run with a mask glued to our face and nerves throughout our bodies. “I think I was nervous, but I had older siblings that were there before me, so that definitely helped me not be as nervous.” says senior Claire Erny. Older siblings definitely help you get familiar with the school and the superstitions like not stepping on the Spartan head, but I don’t think anything can prepare you for the years following after.

For me, at least, sophomore year was a blur. “Yeah I definitely don’t remember it very well either…sophomore year was my first time being on the varsity team for volleyball and that was a really fun year. We had good players and good people.” says Erny. I hope we all got to experience companionship throughout these 4 years. Whether that friend was made through sports, clubs, classes, or even outside of the Broad Run environment, friends are key to creating special memories.

Maybe sophomore year is forgetful because freshman year is full of firsts, senior year is full of lasts, and well, junior year…that’s a whole other thing. Junior year is marked as the worst year of high school. Hopefully yours wasn’t filled with the rumors of stress, tears and breakdowns. “I would say that junior year is over-hated because I actually made a lot of good friends. And academically… I managed it well. There were times when I was in a slump and I just wasn’t very motivated, but overall it wasn’t as bad as people think.”, Erny says. Even though junior year is the time everyone has to “lock in”, it’s not the end all be all. I mean, just look at us now. We survived and now we get to look back on our junior year, hopefully with pride. Maybe some associate junior year with tears and stress, but at least we can say we made it through the other side alive.

And our senior year. The year filled with applications and plans about our future. The year that leaves your heart with a bittersweet feeling. Not quite knowing whether to be happy or sad about leaving high school years behind you. “At volleyball me and all the seniors were thinking about all of the lasts we’re gonna have..it’s bittersweet. I am excited to move on but also highschool is fun for me so I don’t want to leave.”, says Erny. Senior year is definitely filled with mixed emotions, and I’m sure most of us are happy to leave. However, I’m sure that all of us have a little bit of sadness building up, as we’re leaving our friends, teachers, coaches, and the Spartan environment behind. 

Remiencing is sweet, but our reputation…not so much. While I would love to say that the senior class is favored by everyone, unfortunately it’s not. Over the years we got labeled as the “worst spirited class” because collectively, we don’t participate in school activities like painting murals, planning prom, or even attending prom. I have always stood up for my class, but the senior class sponsors, Mrs. Lopez and Mrs. Fergenson, have contributed time, energy, and effort to make the class of 2025 the best it can possibly be. So, I interviewed Mrs. Lopez to get her thoughts on our title. 

“I don’t think it’s entirely either of our faults. You all had the misfortune of not seeing the way that spirit week and the way that those events ran prior to Covid, so you don’t understand how big a deal it was. I grew up with that mentality and those events and so we understand the spirit behind it. I think that it’s something that we and the community, like SCA, are trying to build back up.” She does have a point. Covid wasn’t any advantage to the Spartan experience, but I think that we still made the most of it. Hopefully in the next few years, the original spartan spirit will return, but for now, I feel like it’s pretty good.

As I’m sure most of us are rushing to close the high school chapter and move onto the next, try not to miss what’s happening right in front of you. Do the silly senior vlogs, talk about all your “first lasts”, spend time with your friends. Do it all and take it in. And don’t forget to look back on your years as a Spartan. 

Claire Erny said it perfectly, “I would say, don’t take it so seriously, obviously still try, but it’s senior year, don’t get caught up in a bunch of drama, it’s not worth it. Don’t care what other people think so much, you’re gonna be gone soon. Just have fun.”