As their final year on campus comes to an end, seniors within the walls of SCHS reflected on classrooms and teachers they have found comfort in.

For senior Alonzo Bradford, finding the bandroom early on in high school led to him spending his every lunch there. After four years within music classes, Bradford has found much more than the room’s chimes and winds of music.

“It’s an open room. There’s a lot of instruments in surrounding areas and usually, you’ll have a lot of kids playing or practicing different tunes, which can get a bit hectic at times,” Bradford said.

Amidst the noise of the instruments, Bradford discovered the friendly voices of those around him and knows he can depend on the room, whether it is for homework, or to talk to his friends.

“The quality of having those trusted people nearby, having my friends there and being in an area I know I’m comfortable in really helped me overall,” Bradford said.

Found inside the College and Career center during lunchtime is senior Stephanie Ruiz and her friend group. After spending most of her junior and senior year within the classroom, Ruiz has come to appreciate the space and College and Career Resource Technician, Anthony Butler.

Ruiz knows the door to Butler’s room is always open for her and many other students.

“I feel like coming here for lunch or anything that I need,” Ruiz said. “It’s a nice space. It’s comforting because I know this place very well, and it has someone that I can talk to and comfort myself in.”

Along with students’ comfortability within spaces on campus, many recalled fond memories they have from the campus. Looking back on his time within the bandroom, Bradford remembers when he was assigned a musical piece to analyze.

“I described it as ‘stanky,’ which I never got to hear the end of, and it was a really comfortable memory for me because now it’s just another aspect of my character,” Bradford said. “It’s really something that was kind of remembered as a whole part of me and in that room.”

As the year comes to an end, many seniors look forward to the celebrations that follow. After witnessing his friend’s promposals during lunch, senior Jaison Valdes shared his fondness of social science teacher Gwen Schneider’s classroom.

“Just in the past couple weeks, it was cool to see all the promproposals and how everyone has bonded here, how everyone gets along,” Valdes said.

Along with students seeking comfort from their corners on campus, many teachers and faculty have reciprocated the feeling and have grown fond of their connections with students.

College and Career Resource Technician, Anthony Butler, reminisced on the original goals of the center to help and support students in all aspects of high school and is grateful for the seniors who have repeatedly treated the center as such.

“When I first got hired for this position, I was told that the Career Center was supposed to be a welcoming environment for all students,” Butler said. “I want it to be where people can come and ask questions about college, if they don’t know what to do for a career, community service opportunities, or if they want to come and sit and decompress for a minute.”

Following his years spent in the center, moving forward, Butler strives to continue to be an advocate for his students.

“As long as I am in this position, the doors will be open, and if I can help kids, I will. If I can’t, I will walk with them and find someone who can,” Butler said.

Social science teacher Emily Haven’s offers her ability to lend a listening ear to students depending on when they need it.

“I try to strike a balance between being open and available while also not inserting myself into my student lives,” Haven said. “I am there if they want to talk to me or if they want my perspective on something, but I usually do not offer that right off the bat.”

As seniors turn to face their near futures beyond high school, Haven advises them to remain faithful to themselves.

“Make sure you keep growing and you keep learning but to stay true to who you are and remember that you are amazing just as you are,” Haven said.

With the class of 2024 departing for their futures soon, Butler shared his hopes for the graduating class, anticipating what they will accomplish in their tomorrows.

“I am so happy for 24. I’m excited to see what happens with the entire class,” Butler said.