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Last quarter, last test and last day of school are all milestones that students await as the school year comes to a close. As many students are eager to put the school year behind them and take on the summer, lots of underclassmen are hit with moments of realization: Last game, last drive to school and last quarter with the seniors who have acted as friends and role models throughout high school.
Saying goodbye is never easy, but it is inevitable. No matter what a senior’s plan is for after high school, their relationships with their underclassmen friends are bound to change as they don’t attend the same school or play on the same sports teams. Chloe Caulfield ’25 is preparing to say goodbye to her brother before he leaves for school.
“I think my brother and I will talk less because we both have busy schedules and we can’t just talk to each other whenever we are bored at home,” Caulfield said.
Older siblings are some of the few people that have been there for your entire life. Stella Fry ’26 is preparing for her older sister to leave,completely altering her day to day life.
“My family dynamic will change a lot,” Fry said. “I have two siblings, so having just one in the house will be very weird. The biggest thing will be going to family events or family dinners and her not being there with us.”
In addition to the change younger siblings face, friendships also become different when seniors leave. Viviana Cilano ’26 has been a member of a dance team for nearly ten years, and in that time has built bonds with all of the seniors on her team.
“The dynamic of my team will change just because you spend so long building that relationship up with all your teammates for it to eventually go away because of the seniors,” Cilano said. “Specifically for my team, we are all each other’s best friends so seeing them leave and graduate is a very hard thing to experience and watch.”
Keeping friendships alive as seniors move on to a new chapter of their lives is difficult. Although it is possible to remain friends while in separate places, the distance is bound to make a difference. Adjusting to the change, Caulfield is ready to adapt to how her friends’ absences will affect their relationships.
“After my friends leave I will definitely still stay friends with them, but we won’t be able to hangout all the time and talk about everything, so sadly we will probably not be as close as we are now,” Caulfield said.
Accepting that the separation will without a doubt mean friendships will have to be modified is difficult, but Cilano is ready to do what she can to preserve her relationships with graduates.
“I do think we will remain friends,” Cilano said. “Definitely not as close, but with social media we will still keep in touch. It will definitely be a challenge considering many seniors go to college out of state.”
Even though keeping in touch is very possible with social media and phones, nothing can replace the bond that siblings share. Preparing for her sister to leave, Fry reminisces on what she has enjoyed about living with her big sister.
“I’ll miss our drives and blasting music and honestly just having her around,” Fry said. “Barging into her room and her not being there will be really weird.”
