The last week,

The last bell,

The last laugh,

The last farewell.

It starts with a countdown, whispered, not said.

We walk in slow motion through fast-fading days.

We stand on the edge of something new,

But it’s the old we carry, and the old that pulls us through.

The future may call, it may beckon and rise,

But the past holds us tight, like the spark in our eyes.

We move forward, but we don’t leave behind

The hearts we’ve touched, the ties we’ve intertwined.

Saving the memories of our golden days,

In the quiet of night, when the world feels too wide,

We’ll find solace in memories, no matter how hard we’ve cried.

The halls feel familiar, but something has shifted.

The air tastes like change, but we are the same.

Time’s moving sideways, like everything’s different.

We talk like we’re ready for the world to begin,

But deep down we still hope someone tucks us in.

Always wishing to be older,

But now we look over our shoulders.

Living in corners, in glances, in looks,

We’ve made every mistake there is in the book.

We smile through the days, cry through the nights,

Pretending goodbyes is just for a while.

We grieve the loss of some of our classmates,

Thinking they’re leaving because we are lacking.

Friends will leave, but their echoes remain

In memories we’ll keep, in joy and in pain.

The halls won’t feel the same, that’s true,

But we’ll carry them with us in everything new.

Not in vain, never in vain.

Through the ache of goodbyes, through the fear of what’s next,

We’re stronger than we know; we’re more than what’s left.

Then there’s the teachers, who stood by us through tough times,

They taught us more than lessons in books.

They showed us how to dream, how to act, how to be seen.

and to the teachers who showed us the most

they showed us how to use our power, our voice

With every word, every glance, every sigh,

They helped us grow, though we never asked why.

We rolled our eyes, but we’ll never forget

The way they believed in us, no matter the threat.

We may leave these classrooms, but we’re never alone, we take every memory new and old

For together we’ve built our foundation, we’ve carved out our home.

So here’s to the lasts, to the firsts, to the in-between,

To the stories we’ll write, to the things we’ve yet to dream.

And as we step into high school, bold yet afraid,

We’ll remember each lesson, every price that we paid.

For every ending is a spark for a new dawn,

And the best part of the journey is the path we’ve walked on.

So let the echoes of today be the strength for tomorrow,

With no regret, no sorrow, only the promise

To follow our hearts into tomorrow.

From each step we’ve taken, each laugh and each tear,

A future is waiting, and though we may not be ready,

Our hands might still shake, but our hearts are steady.

We’ll stumble, we’ll soar, we’ll learn as we go,

Planting bold seeds in the soil we now know,

The soil that is our home.

Unwritten. Uncertain. But ours just the same.

Every misstep a lesson, not a moment of shame.

So we’ll walk toward the sunrise, bright and colored in Orange, hand in hand with courage,

Not fearless, but daring, to rise and to stand.

Thank you

Eloisa Bellosta

May 16, 2025