Solon High School (SHS) was the second high school that I’ve been to in my life. As someone who went to Twinsburg High School (THS) my entire life up until my junior year, it would seem like I don’t have much to say about SHS because I haven’t experienced the same amount of time in Solon as others, but really, having to fit in the two years I wasn’t here plus the two years I was here was a very transcendent experience. Now that I’m leaving, there are many things that I’ll miss and won’t want to leave.

The first thing that comes into my head when I think about SHS is Senior Commons, or Commons as we like to call it. Coming to SHS, I had heard a lot about Commons from my friends who already went here. The idea that I didn’t have to sit with underclassmen in an absolutely soundless room sounded pretty great to me. Now I am finally a senior and Commons is exactly how I imagined it: fun, entertaining and way more enjoyable than normal study hall.

“I think being in Commons is one of the more fun things of being a senior,” SHS senior Melissa Lim said. “I really looked forward to it after hearing about it from upperclassmen.”

The next thing that I know I will most definitely miss when I graduate is the teachers.

When I compare SHS teachers to the teachers from THS, the first difference I think about is the attention and focus they give me. The SHS teachers make sure that they do everything in their power to make sure you understand what they’re teaching you. When I came here I knew the classes would be notably harder than classes at THS because of the higher standards at this school.

I took all honors classes when I first moved here, so in the beginning, things were extremely different and also hard. I typically am the type of person who tries to do everything by myself, but my grades started to reflect that and my teachers immediately spoke to me. They offered practice work and extra help and did a lot of one on one time with me.

Taylor Ellman, a senior at SHS, thinks that teachers played a major role in her SHS career.

“One thing I’ll miss in particular about SHS is the teachers because they always showed how much they cared about me and each and every student’s education,” Taylor said.

Leaving high school is a very hard and easy thing to do because it is a big step into the world. There are both pros and cons to leaving high school that every senior probably thinks about right before leaving.

The pros being a new chapter in your life, not having to sit for a long period of time and taking classes that actually interest you.

“I’m really excited to finally leave high school and I’ve already committed to a school that I know I’m going to be making a huge step leading to a new portion of my life,” SHS senior Clarice (Clare) Cohn said. “ I also am able to take all the classes that can help me decide and help me with my future instead of just the basics of math, English, science and history.”

The cons of graduating are money for college, having to create a new everyday routine and leaving your family and friends. Being at SHS has given me a routine and a structure to my life that I’ll miss. It was hard to adapt to it but eventually, it becomes something that I am just used to and having to leave that in just a few months makes me want to stay here even longer.

Cohn also thinks that leaving for college is a very unnerving step into the future and while she’s looking forward to it she also will miss SHS.

“Of course I’m looking forward to college but I most definitely will miss being here at SHS every day. Although most students won’t admit it, high school is and always will be a very important era in someone’s life,” Clare said.