On Saturday, May 24, the four of us—Ella, Mirella, Tanvi, and Reed—spent our evening at Erewhon eating and drinking delectable, if admittedly overpriced, sundaes and smoothies. After pushing to the finish of our senior year, we chose to push aside any remaining anxieties and instead rejoice over our Westridge careers and our time well-served on Spyglass. Although we celebrated and reminisced excitedly, it was hard to deny that beneath our congratulatory moment was a thinly veiled layer of complete and utter exhaustion.

Understandably so. Thursday, May 22 was the last day of classes for the seniors. Fittingly, at the senior tables outside, sentimental tunes of Mamma Mia and Hannah Montana serenaded passerby after passerby. Yet as the final moments for much of our class were all but slipping through our fingers, instead of spending our last remaining moments together in reflection, appreciation, and celebration, we spent more time wallowing, scrambling, and cramming. 

In doing so, the senior class has missed out on the emotions that are supposed to define the last week of high school. We could’ve savored our last lunches with friends, enjoyed our beautiful campus in spring, and lingered in conversation with peers and teachers. Instead, the school handed us several grueling hours of studying a night as we raced to finish final assessments in almost all of our classes.

For many of us, the reality that this chapter of our lives is coming to a close has not yet sunk in—because all we can focus on is the laundry list of tasks we need to complete before graduation, which have included passing a two-day physics final, submitting a 20-page report in Environmental Science, submitting a math project (after many of us took the AP exam), and crafting a 30-page presentation about our growth in English class this year. The list goes on. One senior’s final week included: a final Calculus project, two physics finals, a 20-page historical research paper, a final English project, and an art history presentation. 

What’s worse is that the onslaught of assignments was not a product of our own procrastination and poor planning but a widespread choice by individual teachers and little to no oversight from administration. While our peers at Flintridge Preparatory School returned from their senior retreats and the Marlborough School seniors traveled to Hawaii together, Westridge offered its hard-working class of 2025 no time to reminisce or embrace the nostalgia of their high school years. 

To be completely honest, our last week of high school was miserable. We were unable to be fully present in any of our final, celebratory moments—with the Senior Recognition Assembly sandwiched between finals and Chalk Day coinciding with the final assignment deadline. Our last impressions of Westridge—a school some of us have attended for the past nine years—were characterized by resentment, anxiety, and disappointment. Simply, we are leaving our alma mater with a sour taste in our mouths.

Perhaps these feelings influenced the seniors’ judgement when completing Spyglass’ annual Senior Survey. One peer said that she had selected that she would not recommend Westridge to others. Her answer? Because of the academic stress she felt while filling out the survey; once done with her final schoolwork, she admitted she regretted her selection and would, in fact, recommend Westridge to others. 

We asked dozens of our peers to describe their last week in one word. Holly N. said “hellish.” Caroline S. said “dissatisfying.” Isla R. said “crying” because of both sadness about graduating and stress surrounding her classes. Sarah L. chose two words: “scrambling” in regards to finishing assignments and “rollercoaster” in regards to her emotions. 

Rigor at Westridge is expected, and the class of 2025 knows that as well as anyone. But we’ve earned our right to cherish and meaningfully experience our final weeks at Westridge. We’ve spent the past three-and-a-half years of high school learning everything from basic IPA to antidifferentiation. We’ve not only put in the work, but we’ve proved ourselves too—scoring above and beyond on exams, stepping up as leaders in and out of the classroom, and earning admission to some of the nation’s most selective institutions. In turn, we ask for what we deserve: a moment to wholeheartedly embrace our school and community.

At the end of our Westridge careers, the truth is we don’t need to continue learning or proving ourselves. A physics final on the last day of school does not determine the caliber of our intelligence nor achievement and, if we’re being honest, actually won’t reflect the best academic versions of ourselves.

Instead, we believe Westridge has the opportunity to do something great with the senior spring. As we prepare to enter the next stage of adulthood, we urge the administration to consider giving seniors the opportunity—one we would have liked—to focus on learning the skills needed as we transition into college and beyond. The 12th grade Human Development Curriculum touched on one skill—finance—but what about all the other lessons we should learn before we inevitably pour dish soap into the dishwasher?

Back in September, College Counseling granted the senior class a much-needed reprieve in the form of Senior College Week. It was a break from classes that allowed students to focus on crafting essays and supplements, tour prospective campuses, and receive individualized support from College Counseling. However, fall isn’t the only time seniors could benefit from a shift in pace and perspective. Spring, too, is a period of transition—emotional, social, and academic—one that Westridge has the opportunity to support us in through thoughtful programmatic adjustments. Perhaps, Westridge could implement a Senior Week during the spring focused on preparing us for our lives after high school. Workshops on life skills, personal finance, and time management could offer a far more meaningful and lasting impact than scrambling to tackle an impossible load of final projects and exams.

In our futures, many of us may not need—let alone remember—the formulas or historical dates learned in our final days at Westridge. However, what every single senior will undoubtedly face is roommates, living amenities, college life, and career building. Beyond practical skills, we’re also asking for something less tangible but arguably more essential: the emotional, mental, and communal space to say goodbye and to be fully present in a place that has meant so much to so many. That kind of space is hard to come by when we’re buried under final essays, projects, and exams. As long as we’re drowning in schoolwork, we won’t have room to breathe. We want a chance to be present with one another, to reflect on how far we’ve come, and to celebrate the years we’ve spent growing, stumbling—and, eventually—succeeding together. This is a special moment in time for every graduating senior, and if anything, our final semester should reflect both our pasts AND our futures.