The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Four Freshmen’s Perspectives on the End of the Year Barbecue
As the school year came to an end, CAHS students and teachers gathered on Friday, June 1, to celebrate the end of the school year with dancing, yearbook signing, games and a barbeque.
Throughout the duration of the event, a majority of the students gathered together and signed each other’s yearbooks. Some wrote long letters on each other’s pages, while others simply just signed their names. Regardless of the length of what they wrote, students enjoyed the time they took signing yearbooks.
With free admission and free food, the night started off as a rather mellow gathering. However, as the night progressed, previously separated groups of students came together to become a mosh pit. “I did, in fact, enter the edge of the mosh pit. I have never been inside of the circle. But it was an interesting experience, and I’m glad I did in my freshman year,” freshman Benjamin Bodrogi said, “[though] I’m never going to do it again.”
Freshman Shane Cary added that in the mosh pit, “we would throw each other around … It’s probably not the safest thing in the world.” Dancing allowed Cary to let loose; his favorite part was “hanging out with my friends and dancing.”
In the midst of all the excitement and fun, some students reflected on everything that happened in the past year. “Some friendships definitely have gone south since beginning of the year; some have gotten better. Some people I’ve gotten to know better and some are still just crazy, but [the barbecue] definitely was a sweet experience because I did solve a previous problem with an old friend,” Bodrogi said.
This kind of end-of-the-year reflection was not unique to just Bodrogi. For freshman Stacy Kozmiski, going to the barbeque was a bittersweet end to the year. “I realized it was our last full week being freshmen … Next year there will be new freshmen— new people that are not us.”
Kozmiski also reflected on how she grew during the year. “I made new friendships this year and got a better perspective of what my priorities need to be, what is important in my life and what isn’t. [I grew] as an athlete, I was able to experience my first season playing soccer at CAHS … [and] I saw how supportive and encouraging the coaches were, as well as my teammates.”
Freshman Ezekiel Stewart too experienced some sad moments with the graduation of his senior leaders and role models so close. “It was sad when I had to say goodbye to the seniors that I grew really close to through sports and activities.”
All in all, the End of the Year Extravaganza, according to Bodrogi, was “a good last hurrah for the students to … see what … friendships they’ve made and the way they’ve gotten to know their school.”
