Words of Wisdom FROM the Graduating Class

PMHS Seniors sign off with advice for the underclassmen. The messages they want to leave with their departure.

Sarah Terletsky, Editor in Chief|May 20, 2023

Photo by Courtesy of Yearbook

Class of 2023

I, Ryan Schiano, do hereby leave the following to the PMHS undergraduates:

Go for it. Whatever you are hesitating to do, it could be anything. Just go for it, as your senior year ends, you do not want to feel regretful. You will always remember the things that you do not do, and if you try and fail you will forget it. When senior year ends and you go to college or trade school or just go off to work you will miss high school no matter what if you hated it or loved it. You will remember all the things that you did not do. So go for it.

I, Sarah Linnea Kelley, leave the following:
To the PMHS underclassmen: school may be hard, but you should never give up, always keep going. You may have some ups and downs, but you should never let that bring you down. Always turn your work in on time and never late, always study for tests and quizzes. A little tip if you don’t want to get punished by doing push-ups or sitting outside the class for 5-10 minutes do not curse in front of Mr. Albert and never get on his bad side you do not want to get on his bad side — lol.
I, Jenna White, do hereby leave the following to the PMHS undergraduates,
Enjoy every moment. Your senior year will fly by before you know it. Never take a moment, no matter how big or small, for granted. Cherish everything.
Do not cram up your schedule with AP classes. It is not worth it. You have one more year until life gets real.
Stay humble. Just because you are a senior, it does not mean you are superior or better than anyone else.
Embrace senioritis once testing is over. Do not slack off beforehand. You have a huge break after AP exams to relax.
Make lasting connections that you will treasure forever. Whether with friends or faculty. They make everything so much better.
Above all, congratulate yourself. You did it!
I, Christian Gonzalez, do hereby leave these words of wisdom:

Don’t get so fixated on grades that you forget to live your life.

Whatever it is you want to do, do it. Regretting something you did is a lot easier to get over than regretting something you didn’t do.

Enjoy high school as much as you can, go out and have fun whenever the opportunity presents itself!

I, Evelyn Rivera, do hereby leave these words of wisdom:
You may think high school will go slow but trust me when I say that it goes so fast, always try new things out because you never know what you will be missing out on. Don’t be afraid to express yourself to others (make sure is school appropriate though) Just because someone wants to tell you that you won’t make it or tells you what to do with your future trust your instinct you will find the right answer eventually. Friends can come and go but true friends will always be there with you every step of the way, don’t forget people change people that’s the secret of life. Talking things out always makes a difference, don’t do things because others do taking things slow isn’t bad.

I, Alfred Dunn, do hereby leave the following to the PMHS undergraduates: 

This is your last year so make it a good one. There’s going to be some ups and downs through your senior year but just make it the best. Have fun and don’t get in trouble. Senioritis will hit hard so still try to make it on time to classes. remember when senior year ends and you go to college or trade school or just go off to work you will miss high school no matter what if you hated it or loved it. You will remember all the things that you did not do. So go for it! 

I, Madison Arnold,  do hereby leave the following to the PMHS undergraduates:
Make memories, these high school years go quick.
Do extracurricular activities, like sports and clubs.
Never get on a teacher’s bad side.
You probably will stress about school, just breath.
When your a senior, it’s true you will get senioritis.
JUST HAVE FUN!
I, Jordan Ortega do hereby leave the following words of wisdom:
The start of 12th grade is going to be an interesting year. Enjoy your last best year of your life cause senior year only comes once in high school. Stay out of trouble if you want to graduate. Do the things you want and live life to the fullest. Take risks, explore parts of life where you haven’t , and take advice from people who have experience.

I, Anthony Jean-Baptiste, do hereby bequeath the following:

To PMHS underclassmen, when you start high school, it is not middle school anymore, you need to adapt instantly, whether that’s you not running in the halls or acting up in class etc. You need to adapt because if you don’t, it might get rough, you could end up getting written up or even bullied by other students. Also, once you’re in high school that’s when everything starts to matter, if you want to go to college, your grades matter as soon as you start, in middle school you can get by with lower grades but in high school, it will be much harder to do, especially if you want to go to college. PMHS is one of the largest high schools on the Island, which means it’s one massive melting pot. You will see a large variety of people and see or hear things you’ve never seen or heard. So, you need to be smart and careful with the things you say, the choices you make. There will be a lot of temptation; some good, but most temptations will be bad, so be sure to constantly be on your toes and make sure what you’re doing is the right thing to do. High School is when you begin, you will discover a lot of things about yourself while in high school, you’ll be older which means you’ll have more freedoms, more independence, so take advantage of it. Have fun, do what you want, and make the most of it. These four years are the years where you’re not an adult yet, but you’re old enough to do what you want. But, most importantly, be careful and have fun.

I, Jason Cajamarca, do hereby bequeath the following:

 To next year’s PMHS seniors:  

First and foremost, before I get started just give yourself a round of applause because you have come this far, and I know many are very proud of you. I just want to say to keep on going it is almost over all the hard work and effort you put into school is all going to pay off when you are walking down that aisle with your cap and gown on. Make sure to enjoy this year as best as possible because this school year does fly by, and it is your last year before you become an actual adult and enter the real world. Make as many memories as you can and make sure to get involved with anything you can because the one thing you can’t get back is time.

Time is the most precious thing in the world because you can never get any of it back and I learned that this year so do everything you can think of doing in high school because there is no going back. Another thing is to make sure to keep on going, keep your head high, and never give up. I am talking from experience because I got to that point this year when I felt like I wanted to just give up and didn’t want to put any effort into school anymore, but then I realized that it is my last year and I have put in so many years of hard work to give up now. NO! Keep on going and fight all the way till the end.

Lastly, do not over-stress yourself in your last year of high school. It is your last year to enjoy and relax because of all the work you have put in. Therefore, do not stress yourself with such difficult classes and also avoid any drama because it’s really not worth it. Well GOOD LUCK ON YOUR LAST YEAR! ENJOY AND HAVE FUN!

I, Jennifer Arias, do hereby leave the following words of advice to the underclassmen that will remain in PMHS and to the ones that are going into their last year in high school:

I hope you guys really enjoy your time in high school — believe it, or not, it goes by fast before you know it, you’ll be getting the message that says order you cap and gown and that’s when it gets real. That’s the moment you feel your high school life is going to end and it’s time for the real world. Enjoy as much as you can being here even if you don’t like school once you know you’re going to leave that’s when you wish you enjoyed your teen years here, make your last year count.

I, John Wenke, do hereby leave some general advice:

To the PMHS underclassmen, spend your senior year well and do not throw It away. I know that not everyone is going to go to college but do your job as a student and get the work you have done. Put in 100% into doing your work, it will make your time as a senior easier. Most of the assignments you have will not be that hard. If you do that, you will set yourself up for success for your senior year. Doing this will also allow you to have fun as a senior, and to just enjoy the final year you have here at the high school. So, simply try to do your best as student that is all have l have left to say.

I, Haile Levenglick, do hereby leave the following:

To the PMHS underclassmen: Have fun in high school and make the best memories that you can. Schools goes by very quickly and soon you will be graduating as well.

Go out with your friends all the time and make plans because you don’t know if you’re going to keep in touch with them after you graduate so have as much fun as you can with them.

I have made so many memories with my friends that I will never forget, and you should do the same as well.

To Mrs. Kirwan and Mrs. Pancir: Thank you for always being there for me and always pushing me to be the best I can.

To Mrs. Kirwan thank you for being my go-to person who I can always talk to about anything and everything. I will never forget all the things we’ve talked about including the Rangers

To Mrs. Pancir thank you for getting me out of my comfort zone and starting the class discussion every other day during 5th period. We all learned things about each other and got to make new memories every day. No matter how I was feeling I always laughed in your class, and I will always hold on to those memories.

I, Gianna Neidig leave the following:
Don’t think of mistakes as failure, see them as learning experiences and growth.
Nobody is perfect, all you can do is be the best version of yourself.
Remember that change in life is good, it opens new doors of opportunity.
There is always light at the end of the darkest of tunnels.
Trying new things can lead to so many great possibilities.
Always try to find the good in the hardest of days.
No matter what, there is always tomorrow:)
Best wishes to everyone:)

I, Cristopher Rocano, do herby bequeath the following: 

To the PMHS underclassmen:  Your senior year is going to fly by very quickly, try to have as much fun as possible, go out with friends, talk with new people, ask out that significant someone don’t hold back, get out your comfort zone this is the last year you will be considered a kid after that is over. Be ready to give your best in every class, be cool with everyone, try to stay away from problems in school, out of school you can sort your problems out. Make sure you stay safe when you go out. By the end of the year, you’re going to get tired and just be done with school but pull through at the end the work is not that much, and teachers are cooler with you because they know the year is about to be over. For some advice to those who will drive and park near the school make sure you do in where there is a no parking sign and make you your car is facing in the right direction you don’t want to get a ticket and parking violation. 

I, Siena Fauth leave the following:

To the PMHS underclassmen: Senioritis is a real thing but sure to at least show up to class.

Do not leave health class until your senior year.

Do not stress over what you’re going to do for the rest of your life, you will (probably) change your mind.

Do not curse in front of Mr. Albert, you will regret it.

People learn little from success but much from failure.

GOOD LUCK.

I, Alex Hofmann, do hereby leave the following:

Take your time and really enjoy every little thing that happens throughout high school. You may hear that all the time, but coming from a kid who is graduating in a month I wish I did that.

I wish I could take advantage of all the great opportunities and endless wonders of my high school career.

So please do not EVER hold back from doing something you love, or even trying something new. Do not blink… do not sleep… if you have the opportunity, take it, and do something, anything. I promise you will not regret it because memories from high school will stay with you forever, trust me.

Go to your friend’s house, go to that party, go to the sports games, go join a club, ask that girl/guy out, do whatever makes you happy and never change it.

Do not be afraid to have fun, you got this… but like I said before, it goes by fast and if you do not take advantage of the possibilities, you are going to regret it.

Wherever you are now I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck in your high school career. Do remarkable things!

I, Andrew M., do hereby leave the following:

To the PMHS underclassman: The greatest piece of advice I can give you is this, stay focused on maintaining/raising your grades. Once the times passes you can’t change your grades, so don’t regret your past mistakes. Take AP classes! They count as college credits and are extremely useful, don’t miss out on the opportunity.

To Paul Nemeth: Keep doing what you’re doing and you will be fine. Make sure you check the gum next year.

I, Peter S., do hereby leave the following:

To the Wind Ensemble: Play with confidence because you’ll never be able to play your best if you’re too scared to play out.

The key to getting motivated when playing and practicing is to just have fun with whatever music you are playing.

Don’t get on Mr. Carroll’s bad side. Also, don’t forget to call him Mr. T because it’s his favorite nickname.

Make friends with the whole band because they are the best group of kids in the whole school. They will always have your back.

The percussionists will get you into trouble no matter how good of a kid you are. They’re also the best and most fun section in the whole band so go make friends with them, it’s worth getting yelled at by all the music teachers.

I, Gabriela F., do hereby leave the following:

To the PMHS Underclassmen: Don’t overthink everything.

Like everyone always says, the next few years will fly by without you even noticing. Spend your time truly enjoying the little things because soon, it may not be as easy to.

Go out with your friends, explore your interests, and grow as a person!

These years might seem like the most important ones of your life, but don’t overwhelm yourself as it’ll only take away from the bigger things in life.

Remember to always put yourself first and take care of everything else afterwards.

Best of Luck!

I, Luke Richards, do hereby leave the following:

To Nicholas Richards, keep doing what you’re doing. I see all those test scores on the fridge at home. I’m extremely proud of you. Don’t lose focus on silly things. It’s easy to get sidetracked, but if you give full effort and pay close attention, those grades will just get better. Stay out of trouble. I already know you’re a really good kid, but don’t make any bad decisions. Lastly, join clubs! Making new friends from other schools is awesome and try to keep them close! You’re going to make an impact in this world one day. Even though you bust my chops literally every day, I have a really good feeling about it. Best of luck brother!

I, Toni Brewster do hereby leave (or bequeath) the following:

To The African American club: although we gained and lost a few members the club always stayed interesting, and I was/am always learning something new in there. When I leave, I am going to miss the staying after and asking the guidance counselors for snacks or just talking and laughing at everyone’s jokes or planning projects together, just when I thought I came into this school alone, this club has helped me meet some people who I now call my friends.

To the underclassmen: I want to tell you that although the school years seem long and never ending, it comes fast, once and a while, you will look back and realize how much you changed, how much your mindset has grown, and you will see how fast everything moved. You hear people saying that time moves like the blink of an eye, but you do not believe it until moments turn into memories.

I always thought that when the time had come, I would graduate and never look back, I would not say I miss it, I would move on. Now that the day is quickly (but slowly @ the same time) arriving I am gonna miss every moment I spent in lunch or every bathroom trip, the people I met. Remember, these are the years that MATTER make the most of it.

I, Leah Dougherty, do hereby leave the following message for the underclassmen:

-Do your best in everything you do. However, do not overwork yourself to the point where you get exhausted. Your mental health comes first. 

 -Find the outlets that bring you joy and do them. Take this seriously.  

-Learn to live in the moment and know it is okay to sacrifice a night of work for nights that could end up being good memories. They make good stories. 

– Take the pictures and videos. When you look back, you’ll remember how happy you were, and you will never get it back. So, enjoy it. All of it. While you have it.  

– Be aware of what your post on social media. Do not be petty, inappropriate, and overall, just mind your business.  

-Make smart decisions, consequences are real.  

-Always help the people who need it and be accepting. 

– Don’t be the person who cares what everyone thinks. People are insecure, judgmental, and mean. You will waste so much time having this mindset. Please do not do these things or be that person. 

-Be yourself unapologetically, you won’t see 95% of these people again. Live life responsibly.