“I’ll Always Remember You”- Miley Cyrus
I always knew this day would come/We’d be standing one by one/With our future in our hands/So many dreams, so many plans.
— Miley Cyrus
This song is my personal favorite to listen to before experiencing many of my lasts. The lyrics manage to deliver some deep cuts while staying optimistic about the future. There is something beautiful in knowing that as the class of ’24 begins making college decisions, and other plans for life after Sartell High School, all of our futures started from the same place.
This song is also perfect for the end of sport seasons. Especially on dance team, the lyrics “I always knew after all these years/ There’d be laughter, there’d be tears/ But never thought I’d walk away/ With so much joy, but so much pain And it’s so hard to say “goodbye,” are incredibly applicable.
“Last Kiss”- Taylor Swift
So I’ll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep/And I’ll feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe.”
— Taylor Swift
Though traditionally a breakup song, this specific lyric from “Last Kiss” will tug on any college-bound teen’s heartstrings. As an older sister myself, listening to this specific lyric is like reopening a wound that I didn’t know I had. Seeing my little sister, and my underclassmen friends, continuing their life through Instagram posts is a heartbreaking reality. I’ll always be a supporter of her accomplishments, it’s bittersweet to know that I won’t always be there to see them.
Even more emotional is the thought that once the class of ’24 leaves the SHS doors, their footsteps will eventually fade, and before long their memory will become almost obsolete to the following generations.
“Rivers and Roads”- The Head and the Heart
A year from now, we’ll all be gone / All our friends will move away / And they’re going to better places, but our friends will be gone away.
— The Head and The Heart
By August, the class of 2024 will be moving away, packing their belongings into little boxes and moving into dorm rooms. People who’ve never been more than a five minute drive away from each other will be separated by a distance of many of miles, being entire states away.
I don’t know how I’m going to get through my last year of high school without my best friends.
— Senior, Lily Warnert
“Slipping Through my Fingers” – ABBA
Slipping through my fingers all the time I try to capture every minute.
— ABBA
Our teenage years seem to fly by, and today’s youth is lucky enough to be born into a digital age which allows us to “capture every minute.” Whether it’s through tiktoks, vlogs, journaling, scrapbooking, posting to instagram, or simply taking photographs, there are many ways to document high-school memories.
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“Never Grow Up”- Taylor Swift
Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room // Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home // Remember the footsteps, remember the words said // And all your little brothers favorite songs // I just realized everything that I have is someday going to be gone
— Taylor Swift
This song reminds seniors to take in the moment, and immortalize the memories that you might take for granted. Personally, this song always makes me tearful as I recall wanting to grow up throughout my childhood, and wishing to return to innocent adolescence as it finally happens.
“When We Were Young”- Adele
Let me photograph you in this light // just in case this is the last time // that we might be exactly as we were
— Adele
This song, this highlighted section specifically , once again brings Gen Z’s obsession with conserving their memories to mind. At senior prom, graduation, and other events in and outside school, taking photographs is a must. You never know what you have until it’s gone, or it’s about to.
My friends and I often find ourselves realizing that as seniors, that perhaps this is the last time I’ll ever wear blue to practice, or the final high school football game. Taking photos is a great way to save memories for future nostalgia, capturing the essence of your high school experience.
“Where’d All the Time Go?”- Dr. Dog
Where’d all the time go? It’s starting to fly See how the hands go Waving goodbye
— Dr. Dog
Time really does fly. It feels like just yesterday the class of 2024 was stepping onto a yellow school bus, ready for the first day of Kindergarten. The 24 in front of all the school usernames seemed an eternity away. Now, we have a graduation countdown, and girls are already shopping for a white graduation dress.
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