![After Massachusetts voted to remove the MCAS graduation requirement, policy makers are reshaping graduation standards. "The top-line understanding is that we’ve moved away from a system that we’ve known for about 24 years, which is one where every school district in Massachusetts had wide latitude to decide what their graduation requirements were in terms of coursework or other experiences, but every single student, in order to earn a diploma, needed to pass the MCAS in one English, one math and one science assessment," Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler said. "We’ve moved away from that now, by virtue of the outcome of [the MCAS] ballot question in November, to a place where communities can still decide what their graduation requirements are, but there’s no requirement for students to pass the MCAS.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/img_3067_720.png)
![Troy Hoyt finishes the Boston Marathon, running for the Hoyt Foundation. T. Hoyt is the son of Hoyt Foundation CEO Russ Hoyt.
“[Running a marathon] might seem like a big thing, when it’s presented to you at first, but if you break it up and just keep telling yourself, “Yes, you can,” you can start chipping away at it. And before you know it, you’ll be running the whole 26 miles, and you won’t even think twice about it.” T. Hoyt said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/C36E8761-1CBB-452E-9DF2-543EF7B1095E_1_105_c.jpeg)
There’s something I’m feeling, but it escapes definition. It’s a mix of excitement, optimism and eagerness, yet something still lingers, holding me back from moving forward. Maybe it’s the weight of saying goodbyes, or the unknown fear of what is coming next. As a senior in high school, I am standing on the edge of everything I know. Being a senior means looking ahead to new experiences, but also realizing that a familiar chapter of my life is coming to an end. If I had to put all that I feel into one word, it would be “bittersweet.”
Some seniors have been in the same school system together since kindergarten. We spent 13 years and seven hours a day surrounded by familiar faces, shared routines and countless memories. However, soon we are all going our own ways to create memories with new people.
The first time I, and some other seniors, truly recognized and accepted that this was our final year of high school was during the last field hockey game of the season. The referee blew the whistle, we dropped our sticks and as all our teammates ran to give the seniors a group hug, it finally hit us: we just played our last field hockey game. For some of us, this might just be our last high school field hockey game, but for others, this was the closing finale to our sport.
Every annual event that occurs throughout this year is now categorized as one of our “lasts.” Last football game, last class, last goal scored, last school dance. All of these things are now our final time experiencing them in high school, which brings both feelings of gratitude and sadness as students realize these moments won’t come again.
Despite our “last times” in high school, there is a sense of undeniable excitement about the future. The idea of stepping into new opportunities, whether it’s college, starting a career or simply gaining more independence, feels like a fresh start. Graduating gives us a chance to explore what’s next, make new connections and carve out our own paths.
Last year, it was weird to watch my upperclassmen friends experience all their last moments with their friends and classmates. I’d look at my friends and say, “I can’t believe that will be us next year.” But now, as I pick out my shirt for “decision day,” shop for graduation dresses and practice the dances for my last Window Dance Ensemble show, I recognize that it’s finally my time to take those last steps and begin a new chapter.
Your senior year of high school is when you reach the peak of privileges, memories and make your first steps into adulthood. Students leave with a foundation built over years and step into futures shaped by choices they begin to make now, which is what makes this experience feel so bittersweet.
