As I say goodbye to a well needed summer vacation I also get to say hello to a new year at William Mckinley High School.  

My name is Karl Selga and I am a proud senior at William Mckinley high school. This year is a very exciting year because not only is it going to be my last year, but it is the 150th anniversary of this place, which has been like my second home ever since I came here 4 years ago. On August 8, 2015 the Mckinley “Tigers” filled the gymnasium to celebrate our annual welcome back assembly. I was thrilled to see my friends, faculty, principal and all the new freshman. When I entered the gym I heard the screams of my fellow seniors and the band playing in the background. 4 years ago when I was a freshman I was sitting across from the senior class of my time and now I am sitting exactly where they all were. If I had to use only one word to explain how I felt when I sat on the senior bleachers I would use the word, surreal.

When the assembly started a student council member welcomed us. After that a flash mob surprised the students and then we got the speech from our own principal. Our Principal Ron Okamura was given the mic and the gymnasium became quiet. He talked about how great it was to see everyone back at school and how he hoped everyone had a safe summer. He talked to the seniors about raising the bar and how hard it gets every year and how he expects us to break that bar and make it harder. There is no doubt in my mind that we the senior class will destroy that bar. I just hope that my class leaves something left for the next graduating class. After Mr. Okamura finished speaking to the senior class he moved on to talking about how important it was to keep up with our schools Pride and Tradition.

When Mr. Okamura was done with his segment, it was April Nakamura who was next to speak to everyone. She went a little more in depth into what Mr. Okamura told to everyone. But Ms. Nakamura made sure everyone understood what it meant to become a tiger and what it meant to hold our tradition close to our heart. While I was listening to the speeches of these two role models it dawned on me that this will be the last time I will ever hear their speeches. This will be the last time I will ever get to hear the band play my alma mater or the black and gold and when I realized this I was glad that I chose to come to this school. Because not only did I meet many different people with so many interesting personalities, I made memories here that I will never forget. And now I will be able to tell people that I graduated on the 150th anniversary of William Mckinley High School.

For the freshman who are reading this, I want to tell you that these 4 years might possibly be the best years of your life. DO NOT waste any of your time here, you have 4 years to find out who or what you wanna be so make every second count. Have fun, but don’t slack off. When you find that “something” strive to make that dream a reality. Remember the people who you look up to now didn’t get to where they are without planning and making sacrifices. So freshman do me a favor and make these next 4 years the best.