What do these seniors most look forward to in their final year of high school?

The Catholic Review invited incoming seniors at high schools in the region to submit essays on what they’re most looking forward to in their final year of high school. Below are some of those reflections. 

Excitement ahead

By Angela Balto, Maryvale Preparatory School, Lutherville

6,200.

That’s the approximate number of sunrises the average high school student has experienced by the beginning of senior year. One of these many sunrises, known at Maryvale as “Senior Sunrise,” will hold a special place in my heart as summer comes to an end. Sunrises are a sure thing – an inevitable, life-giving salutation to begin a day that holds thousands of potential endings.

As the school year begins, this special tradition gathers the seniors together just before dawn to watch the sunrise together. Although every sunrise is

different, the certainty of a daily sunrise helps remind us that we are grounded as we launch into a year that is filled with uncertainty. Experiencing this moment with classmates who have become friends – and even sisters – over the years will create a core memory of reflection, joy and tranquility that we can look back on throughout the highs and lows of senior year.

As we experience the stress of college applications and the bittersweetness of many “lasts,” we can all find comfort not only in the memory of “Senior Sunrise” but also in the anticipation of “Senior Sunset,” the bookends that will frame our senior experience. At the end of the year, we’ll gather as a class once again, quietly reflecting under the sky on this chapter of our lives.

I am most excited for these moments of serenity and togetherness. In a year that will be defined by choices and goodbyes, I find peace in the symmetry of the sunrise and sunset. These moments remind me that while many parts of my life are changing, some parts remain constant. With that constancy comes the courage to embrace what is next.

A ring worth waiting for

By Veronica King, Mercy High School, Baltimore

Since my freshman year, the idea of being a senior has felt like standing at the base of a mountain where the summit was visible, but unreachable. I watched as each class before me made its ascent, reaching cherished peaks such as senior sunrise and senior skip day. From where I stood on this mountain, they were travelers arriving at places I could only dream of. Yet time, like a mountain guide, time moves steadfastly ahead of our dreams. Now as I approach the final stretch of my high school career, I find myself no longer watching but experiencing. 

While there are many milestones I’m excited for this year such as prom, sports and college decisions, one moment holds the most weight: receiving my school ring. Most students receive their ring in the fall of their junior year, but I’ll get mine in September. At first, this delay was upsetting, and I wondered why such a symbolic marker of my high school journey would come so late when the summit was already in sight. This frustration only built when I watched my peers at other schools celebrate their ring milestone. I felt like I had missed a step on the path we were meant to share. I had worked tirelessly to earn good grades in my classes, to win medals in my sport and to contribute meaningfully to my school community and yet I couldn’t receive my ring with all the juniors at other schools. 

Over time though, this frustration became anticipation as I began to see the beauty in waiting for my ring. Receiving my ring senior year completely changes its meaning. This ring is no longer a token of arrival to becoming an upperclassman, it is the summit itself. Every experience I’ve had, every person I’ve met and every moment of frustration I’ve felt is a step that led me to my senior year. My ring is the culmination of my high school experience. 

When I finally slip my ring onto my finger, it won’t be a symbol of my completion of high school, but the summation of every moment I experienced to earn it. Some summits take longer to reach, but when we finally make it there, the journey stays with us forever.  

Final season of debate

By Charlie Shaeffer, Calvert Hall College High School, Towson

The thing I’m most excited about heading into senior year is finishing my high school debate career. It’s been the most consistent part of my life for the past three years. I’ve spent hours researching, travelling and arguing about everything from intellectual property law to Arctic security and NATO. I’ve built routines around competing at a high level in an activity, and it feels a little weird that when I go through the motions this year, it will be the last time.

Being on Calvert Hall’s policy debate team has changed my life in ways I could not have imagined. It has taught me how to write, how to think on my feet and how to think critically. The mutual iterative testing and clash that is unique to every debate round has taught me so much about the world and has opened my eyes to many real issues facing our community, but also how to solve them. Every round is different and challenging. I’m excited to get back to it in the fall.

Of course, college is a big part of senior year, too. I’ve been working toward it since freshman year, and now application season is here. It’s exciting to envision opening college acceptance letters and the agency that comes with making a decision, but I’m also anxious. There is a large workload that comes with applications that I have been preparing to tackle for years.

This will be a year of lasts, and there is a certain sentiment that comes with that. For me, it’ll be my last time at debate tournaments that I’ve attended annually and my last time travelling with my friends. Others will play their sports or act on stage for the last time. Regardless, we will all have the chance to see years of hard work actualized in the ways that matter the most to us, and that’s why this year is so important.

Retreat to faith and friendship

By Ella Donovan, Mount De Sales Academy, Catonsville

Senior year feels like a chance to fully live out everything that makes Mount De Sales Academy so special. From wearing our senior sweaters for the first time to walking through the windows on graduation day, it’s sure to be a year to remember, and I can’t believe it’s finally the class of 2026’s turn.

What makes this year even more meaningful is the sense of community it brings. Each year, the senior class embarks on a three-day retreat, and every year I’ve seen the girls return with a renewed sense of joy and sisterhood. Senior retreat is a rare opportunity for our entire class to bond on an overnight trip, and if one day can bring us together, I can only imagine how strong our connection will be after three.

One of my favorite parts of junior retreat was getting to know girls who are not in my daily classes. Since this will be my last chance to make those connections, I want to step outside my comfort zone and build relationships beyond my usual circle. Senior year comes with its challenges, but I’m hopeful that retreat will offer a chance to pause, reconnect with what truly matters and remind me to stay grounded in faith, knowing that God’s plan is greater than my own. This retreat gives me the chance not only to grow closer to Jesus but to have meaningful conversations with the Dominican Sisters who continue to inspire me. I’m hoping to speak to them as much as possible, because their joy is contagious and it motivates me to serve Him with authenticity and purpose in all I do.

I’m hopeful that our senior retreat will bring us closer as a class and teach us lessons that guide us through a truly unforgettable year.

Friendship, family and faith

By Isabel “Izzy” Norgaard, Notre Dame Preparatory School, Towson

As I step into my senior year at Notre Dame Preparatory School, the one thing I am most excited about is spending meaningful time with the friends I’ve made over the past three years. These friendships have become like a sisterhood, rooted in laughter, support and shared experiences. I want to soak in every tradition that makes NDP so special, from class retreats to our final Gym Meet, the Senior New York trip and all the quiet in-between moments that happen in our classrooms and hallways. These are the final memories we will make together as students, and I know how precious they will become once we part ways.

I’m also looking forward to cherishing one last year of being a “kid” at home. As college looms on the horizon, I’m aware that this year is a final chapter with my family in its current form. I want to treasure every adventure, every spontaneous trip and every late-night talk with my younger sister. These are the moments that remind me of who I am and where I come from.

Finally, I’m excited to step into the unknown, whether that’s deciding where to go to college, discovering new passions or growing in my faith. I trust that God has a path for me, even if I can’t see the full picture yet. I look forward to walking that path with courage, hope and gratitude for the community that helped shape me.

Senior year is a bridge between who I have been and who I am becoming, and I’m ready to cross it with joy and open hands.

Making moments that last

By Lauren Thomas, Maryvale Preparatory School, Lutherville

As I envision my last year of high school, I am most excited about the opportunities that I have watched prior seniors take part in. From engaging in service activities and going on retreat with fellow classmates, I am excited to go out of my comfort zone and embrace all that senior year has to offer. I am excited to contribute to meaningful, memorable experiences such as senior sunrise, prom, Maryvale’s gym meet and graduation. 

There is something unforgettable about being part of a class that leaves its mark. Since freshman year at Maryvale, I have always admired how the seniors made their final year special and memorable – not just for their class as a whole, but for the entire school community. 

This year, I will be participating in Maryvale’s 1804 peer ministry class. My classmates and I plan to set up fun and engaging retreats, school activities regarding mindfulness and service projects that help students grow closer to God while serving our community at the same time. I am very excited to contribute to these special moments that tie us together as a community and as a school. 

While graduation may be the ending and final goal for most high school students, it’s everything leading up to that moment and more. The countdown, the bonding and special school activities that become core memories for me to carry throughout my life. I am ready to make the most of every moment and opportunity throughout my final year of high school.

Discerning God’s plans ahead

By Jeremiah Samuel Erb, Century High School, Sykesville

The smell of eggs and chlorine often fills our breakfast room – one from the kitchen, the other permeating my swim bag. As I sit down, bleary-eyed, my gaze fixes on the verse above the table: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you…” 

In that quiet moment before the rush to early morning swim practice, I’m reminded that my future isn’t random. God has ordained it and it is unfolding, even now.

What I am most anticipating during senior year is discerning God’s plans for my future. It’s a process not to be dreaded, but to be embraced for the self-discovery that takes place during this time and the opportunity to be an active participant in God’s plan. This discernment will take many forms, including prayer, as well as leadership opportunities on my swim team and as a teacher’s assistant in AP U.S. history. It will also include more mundane tasks, such as writing supplemental essays and taking the SAT. 

Swimming is a big part of my life. This season, as a senior and the longest-serving swimmer in the group, my goal is to create an inclusive and welcoming environment where all swimmers feel valued, supported, motivated and respected. 

My favorite class in high school was AP U.S. history, thanks to my excellent teacher, Mr. Howes. I am looking forward to working alongside him to help teach history, to share my passion and to pass on the love of history to the next class of students. 

Assuming these roles will help me discern my strengths as a swimmer, student and leader, which will ultimately inform my decision about which university to attend and my chosen major. Being an active participant in God’s plan is the key to revealing the plans He has in mind. I’m ready.

Finding community senior year

By CJ Lewis, St. John’s Catholic Prep, Buckeystown

When I imagine my senior year, the one thing I am excited about is not just finally graduating, senior privilege or being an upperclassman. What I am excited about is to finally become part of a community. I have transferred from high school to high school, waiting for somewhere I can finally have stability, trust, love and community. My senior year will be the first time I have spent longer than two years at a high school; it will be the first year where I will have people who actually know me for who I am, not just a transfer. As I am finally getting my chance to engrain myself within the memories of others, I am not only excited to better myself, but to act as an accent to my class. 

In the past, I have focused mostly on my own success, climbing to the top of a mountain alone without appreciating the view. Now as I have reached the top of the mountain, the end of my high school career, I finally get the chance to sit down with those who have traversed similar yet wildly different climbs and journeys to get where we all are today. It is not only a chance to demonstrate my own skills and perseverance, but to also learn from the journeys of others.

Having been a lone hiker most of my life, I depended mostly on my own instinct and determination to reach the top – but one cannot reach the highest peaks without the support of a community. I have finally gotten to a place where I am comfortable, where I can rely on other people to catch me if I fall. That is what I am truly most excited about for my senior year. 

For me, it’s not about reaching the top. It’s about the journey that got you there, learning from the past experiences of myself and others, and appreciating the view from the top with the trusted community I have become a part of. While I am, of course, excited for the future and the pride gained from climbing my juvenile mountain, I gain the most excitement and joy from finally being able to rest at the peak, surrounded by people I know. In a complete and utter cliche, for me, high school really is about the friends you make along the way.

Ring day, a lasting bond

By Ella Frasca, Mercy High School, Baltimore

Going into my senior year, I am super excited for all the events, but I’m especially awaiting my ring day. Ring day means a lot to me. This tradition marks our hard work over the years and it unites our class going into our last year together. It also unites us to our Mercy Sisters who have received their rings before us. 

I have watched my actual sister, my Mercy big sister and my close friends get their rings.  Watching ring day my freshman year made me wish my time away, but it also made me work a lot harder so that I could make it to this point.

To me ring day is more than just receiving a ring. It symbolizes how Mercy and God have worked through us during our time and it reminds us of  how we have changed over the years. Yes, it is a new shiny ring, but it  symbolizes opportunities  ahead for all of us and the different paths we will take. It also symbolizes the unity our Mercy sisters will have forever. Now that the time is finally here, I am no longer wishing it away. I want it to slow down so that I can enjoy every moment of my senior year.

Teaching at outdoor school

By Celia Anthony, Century High School, Sykesville 

For one semester of my senior year, I have an internship at the Carroll County Outdoor School, which is a learning center dedicated to spreading environmental awareness among students. Sixth graders from all of Carroll County’s public middle schools visit Outdoor School for a week-long sleepaway camp, where they learn about local wildlife, ecosystems and environmental responsibility.

The school opened in 1976 and has been a beloved institution as well as a valuable addition to students’ STEM education. I participated in the sleepaway program in sixth grade, and came back for two weeks in my junior year as a counselor and later environmental mentor. Along with my fellow counselors, I was able to support and mentor students throughout the week as they lived, ate and explored together. We hiked in the woods around campus in instructional groups, waded through streams looking for aquatic macroinvertebrates and went on night activities listening for owls and eating s’mores. Students are challenged to reduce food waste at meals and count the type and number of animals they identify over the week. Every week culminates with the survival game, a huge interactive game where students roleplay as different animals in an ecosystem and run around trying to find food and water, tag other players and “survive” until the end. 

As a middle schooler, Outdoor School helped me realize my passion for environmental science, in which I intend to major. Now, preparing for my final year of high school and the transition to college, I am so grateful for this opportunity and incredibly excited to intern at the school!

White dresses, red roses

By Jennie Pfister, Notre Dame Preparatory School, Towson

The aspect of my senior year that I am most looking forward to is NDP’s traditional white dresses and red roses at graduation. Each girl in the graduating class wears a long, silky white dress and bears an exquisite bouquet of deep-red roses throughout the graduation festivities. Out of all of NDP’s traditions, this stands out to me as the most symbolic. In general, it simultaneously represents the end of one journey and the beginning of another. The white dress exemplifies the integrity that surrounds each girl on the fulfillment of her transformation. This last word is used quite specifically because these girls are, in fact, no longer girls – they are now women. 

Alternatively, each bouquet of red roses embodies the passions the graduates bring with them upon entering the adult world. In a figurative sense, the “seeds” for these roses would have been planted years before, anticipating future potential. As these girls began to discover who they were and what qualities made up their very beings, the roses would in turn take root. When they fully blossom at last, their color would reflect the intense passion found within each one of them. The symbolism of the white dress and the red roses culminates with the graduates exiting through the NDP gateway arches one last time. 

As freshmen at NDP, we walk in through the Gateway arch as young girls entering the next four years of our lives. As seniors, we process out through the Gateway and into the world as young women, fulfilling the transformation that was years in the making.

Faith, virtue and teaching

By Logan Teter, Northeast Senior High school, Pasadena

For my senior year, I’m excited to begin my internship at Divine Mercy Academy, where I will assist teachers and support students academically. Having attended public school my entire life, I had never experienced classical education before. During the interview, I toured the school with the headmaster, who spoke with deep conviction and passion about our Catholic faith. He taught me things as I looked at different classroom settings. I was amazed at how they teach children, how they use history and literature to tie their education together. He taught me things I would have never considered and showed me how classical education connects virtue and academics. What really stood out to me was his emphasis on education not just as a means to earn money but away to grow in virtue and holiness. I applied for this internship because of my strong desire to major in theology and to become an educator. 

I want to help students encounter the truth, beauty and goodness of our Catholic faith. I’m excited not just to gain hands-on experience, but to also grow in my own faith journey. While on the tour, I was amazed by how much I still have to learn about our faith. A priest once told me I could be studying theology my whole life and still would not know it all. That’s the beauty of Catholicism, we have the Magisterium, sacred Scripture and sacred tradition to guide us, but there is always more to discover. I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity and I’m excited to grow spiritually and professionally through this journey.

Countless traditions

By Joey Cuomo, Loyola Blakefield, Towson

As I look ahead to senior year, I feel excited about the countless traditions the seniors are involved in at Loyola Blakefield. However, something more exciting is starting a new tradition, The Dan McNeal ’90 Memorial Game and Fundraiser. This event will encapsulate what it means to be a Loyola Don and will pay tribute to Dan McNeal. 

Dan McNeal was a beloved student in his time at Loyola, where he was the student body president and one who touched the lives of so many Dons. Dan died tragically on Sept. 11, 2001, in the World Trade Center.

I, unfortunately, never had the chance to meet Dan, but his legacy has been instilled in all of us students. Everyone in the community says Dan was the “perfect Don” someone who was involved, energetic, and filled with Blakefield spirit. Dan enjoyed a Jesuit education throughout college as well, where he attended Boston College. 

As this year’s president of service, the chief student fundraising, I knew there was one thing I had to make happen this fall: a Dan McNeal memorial game and fundraiser. The students, alumni, faculty and staff will all be given the opportunities to buy blue and gold bandanas. The proceeds will go straight into the Dan McNeal endowment fund. Then, in late September we will gather as a school for a football game in his memory with everyone wearing their bandanas to show the greater treasure of being apart from Loyola’s community. 

My senior year will be filled with big moments, college acceptances, prom, graduation, my senior year of rugby, SGA forums, and campus ministry events. But for me, this football game under the lights will truly be special. It will be a celebration of Dan McNeal and what it means to be a man for others.

Brotherhood

By Dillon-Seth Smith,  Archbishop Curley High School, Baltimore

Brotherhood is a word that is used very frequently at my school. To those outside, it might seem like just a slogan; but to my school, especially to my rising senior class and me, it is who we are. Of course, like many seniors across the country and in Catholic schools, I look forward to touring colleges, finishing my final year of high school sports, attending prom and enjoying all that senior year has to offer.

More than ever, though, I look forward to spending time with my brothers, not just enjoying the events, but cherishing the moments I have left with this special group of people. I look forward to cheering my Curley brothers on in the student section. I look forward to competing with the freshman, sophomores and juniors during Spirit Week. I look forward to enjoying school and club retreats with my brothers. I look forward to volunteering with my brothers. I look forward to savoring every moment and making memories in a place that has shaped me into the young man I am today.

As I approach graduation, I plan to make the most of my senior year in the practical sense, but I also plan to make the most of it in my formation. I want to fully embrace the Curley experience, to live fully in the brotherhood, to learn, to grow and to celebrate this last year with the people who have made Curley so meaningful.

Flown by

By Cody Rice, Archbishop Curley High School, Baltimore

Senior year came so fast. Just this last week I helped out with freshman retreat and it felt like yesterday that I was a freshman. My time at Curley has flown by.

The main thing I am excited about when envisioning my senior year is growing with my brothers and really enjoying the “brotherhood” we have here. The group of guys I’ve gotten to know over these three years will be friends for life. We’ve been through tough times and fun times but we’ll always be there for one another. 

I envision a successful sports season for football as this is our fourth coach in four years. Our team has shown the most dedication and determination than anyone I’ve known through this much adversity.

But, the biggest thing I’m looking forward to is growing my business. Through my time at Curley in the engineering department, I have learned 3D design and 3D printing. With those skills and some hands-on help with my dad, I have started a business designing and selling sports card stands. Since starting in March we’ve been quite successful and are growing each and every day.

 I’m proud of the work I have done in my three years here at Curley and I am forever grateful for the skills they have given me. Finally, I look forward to senior year as my final stage before becoming a man, a Curley man, and fully starting my life.

Essays were collated by Archdiocese of Baltimore social media specialist Mitzy Deras.

This story was updated with additional essays Aug. 25.

Read More Schools

Calvert Hall holds off Loyola Blakefield to claim a 28-24 victory in the 105th Turkey Bowl

Maryland pilgrims bring energy and joy to NCYC 2025

5 Things to Know about the 2025 Turkey Bowl

Mercy High School freshman set to ask question of Pope Leo XIV

Baltimore-area Catholic school students take active role in Ignatian Teach-In

Faith, fortitude inspire St. Mary’s freshman through journey with kidney disease

Copyright © 2025 Catholic Review Media

 Print