“Hello, I’m Janice. I joined Sacred Heart in 2008, so 1st grade. I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania from the fall. 

I’m thankful for the times that the school allowed us to make memories with friends and teachers. Some of my best memories are eating with friends outside on the playground during lunch and after school. Two specific days come to mind, especially. It was last year, and Hana and I were waiting after school to attend a UK college information session at school. The session was going to start in an hour or so, so we had a bit of time in between 3:30 and then to grab something to eat. We ordered two burgers and lots of fries from Homework’s, and because we thought that we didn’t have enough time for us to run back to school, we decided to eat them at school. It was around 5 pm, so the playground was empty, and that’s where we decided to eat. I still remember, the weather was absolutely perfect, and the sun was just setting. To this day, this moment is one of the most memorable memories at school for some reason. I think it’s because that’s when I really knew that I had good friends to make such a fleeting moment an unforgettable memory. The second is also relating to food in the playground. It was Hana’s birthday, so Arina had ordered a large Mexican bowl full of avocados for Hana. It was supposed to be a surprise, so we didn’t tell her. It turned out, though, that Hana’s mom had also packed a Mexican bowl for lunch that day. We ended up all sharing the bowl on the playground, wearing silly birthday hats. It was during lunch break, so the playground was very crowded, and there were middle school students running around everywhere. It was the opposite of what it was like when I had my burger in the playground after school, but it was just as nice with friends. Just another note on food: I probably don’t count as a veteran, but THE GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES the cafeteria used to sell were bomb! I used to eat two of them every day, and, I have to say, it was at the school’s loss to stop selling them. It almost seems like food has been the most memorable part of Sacred Heart, but it’s really about who I was eating with and where I was eating it that matters. Everyone is truly welcoming at Sacred Heart, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to meet people as nice as here.

There were several good excursions as well — I really liked the ninth grade excursion and the senior excursion. But the seventh grade excursion sticks out to me because it was the first time I tried shrimps’ tails. I never imagined eating the tail part of Ebi (shrimp) -fries, but Hana taught me to, and it is frankly the best thing (and only thing) I’ve learned from her.

I don’t know if I’m leaving behind much, but I do want someone to pick up on the podcast project that I started this year in Journalism. There was a lot of difficulties starting it, and my plans for the second semester had been almost completely put at a stop because of unexpected circumstances, but it’s something that I really think the school can benefit from. Also, as the President of the Fine Arts Council, I’d like future members of the council to continue to improve our banquets and communicate with the community.

Because there’s gonna be a virtual grad, I don’t know what to do because I left my cap and gown in my school locker. Adios!” – Janice