**The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools**
As the 2022-2023 school year comes to an end, the students at Vestavia Hills High School are getting ready for AP exams coming right around the corner, semester exams, graduation, and the summer. This school year has been an unforgettable experience for many of our fellow students. I interviewed many students to get a feel of some of the best memories made this high school year.
School dances are always a big hit for high school students because they give people the opportunity to dress up and hang out with their friends. In October and January, students from all grades attended Homecoming and the Sadie Hawkins Dance. In March, many upperclassmen also attended Prom. One student said, “Homecoming was a blast. I really enjoyed the dress-up days this year. It was super cool to see how involved everyone was the week before Homecoming.”
Additionally, many students enjoyed the football games and the homecoming float. “The football game before Homecoming is always the most fun. Even if you don’t go to football games that much, definitely look into going to the one before Homecoming! You don’t wanna miss it,” one student explained. This year, the Sadie Hawkins Dance was held at the new Civic Center by City Hall. Many students complimented the new facility for being very spacious and clean. Overall, school dances seem to be a popular “favorite memory” from this high school year.
Many seniors were bittersweet about leaving for college. “There have been so many good memories this year, but the lasts have really stood out,” is what many seniors have said. For example, the last first day of school was bittersweet. Not to mention that “it’s crazy to see how far we all have come as we separate and go on our own paths.”
This year, students that take languages at school have had many good memories. Madame Harlan, who is the French teacher, took a group of her students to France and Switzerland over winter break. They visited the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre, to name a few places. The Latin classes went to Latin Convention. There, the students participated in games, a Latin scholar’s bowl, and chariot racing, to name a few. The German classes went to German Day in Tuscaloosa, which was an immersive experience. “We competed in a lot of different events from group songs to comprehensive reading. Schools get points based on how many they win and we won German Day with the most points,” a student explained.
RISE is a large fundraising campaign that Vestavia does every year to raise money for cancer research. When interviewed, many students reported that their favorite memories were made through an event in support of RISE. Many of the students came out and supported the cause by running or volunteering in the Superhero Fun Run and 5K Rebel Color Run. “It’s always super cool to see everyone come together and support a great cause,” explained a student. A multitude of students said that RISE Day was super memorable because “it was crazy that we raised over one million dollars in the past five years.”
The students here at Vestavia are also athletes, which explains why many had unforgettable memories made with their sports teams. The Swim and Dive Team competed at State in Auburn in December. Many of the swimmers enjoyed hanging out with each other before race day and team dinners. One swimmer described the atmosphere at State as “a very spirited and exciting meet to be competing at.” The AHSAA Cross Country State Championships was a special memory as well, because the boys' team won with a tiebreaker against Huntsville. “Going into the meet, we weren’t seeded to place first. This was why this memory was so special. It’s such a good feeling knowing that all your hard work and dedication pays off in the end,” one runner explained. A few runners included that their favorite Cross Country meet from the season was Wingfoot Classic in Georgia because “we got to travel and stay together. We had so many pasta nights where we bonded with each other. We had so much fun and sports are all about the connections you make!” Additionally, a few athletes included that their favorite track meet was Mountain Brook Invitational because “it didn’t end until 1:30 in the morning and it was a lot of fun cheering on my best friends and just supporting each other.”
Despite the challenges and hardships that came along with this year, the memories and experiences were unforgettable and special. It was wonderful to be able to interview and interact with so many students at Vestavia through this interview. Best of luck to all of the seniors as they end high school and enter a new chapter of their lives!
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