Senior Meetings & Meeting Seniors

photo by Brayden Downey

The seniors of Walnut Grove High School are locking in after senior meetings and are in full swing with classes underway as they ready themselves for graduation this coming May
by Brayden Downey

The seniors of Walnut Grove High School are locking in after senior meetings and are in full swing with classes underway as they ready themselves for graduation this coming May.

When you become a senior, a title is not all that comes with that. It means that you are at the last step of your life before you truly become an adult. It comes with accepting new responsibilities and getting organized as you begin this last chapter in your journey.

Walnut Grove's counselors hold senior meetings to get students a better feel for what's to come and to aid the school mission for its students to leave under one of the three E’s - Enlisted, Enrolled, or Employed.

Megan McCollum, One of three amazing counselors here at Walnut Grove has been pushing forward to ensure that each student she meets with is given the most personalized meeting and resources that she can offer. When being interviewed, she made sure to highlight the importance of sending seniors off with a plan. She stated “We make the time to discuss their post-graduation plans - whether they want to leave WGHS Enrolled, Enlisted or Employed and talk about the next steps they need to take to meet those plans.  So each Senior Meeting is very individual based on the senior-” and while some seniors may not have a fully drawn out plan, McCollum followed her previous statement saying “The most successful students don't always know exactly what they want to do but they are motivated to find out.  And they know that they have to keep utilizing their resources to discover what their next steps will be.   They never stop learning, looking for answers.  They are not satisfied with being the "status quo.” For many it can be intimidating to not know what's coming ahead of you; However you won't always know about everything life throws at you. 

Walnut Groves Class Treasurer of ‘24, Tyler Simmons could tell you a thing or two about just going with the flow and making changes as needed. When Simmons was caught mid-workout, he was asked if he had any plans after high school, he replied “...I want to go to college and get a higher education that can lead me to a good job.” Even though he may not have an exact school or exact job in mind, he has an idea of where he wants his life to go and has a general idea of how to get there which is the first and one of the most important steps to take. 

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The class of 2024’s Madam President, Madison Norman would tell you that all things you work for will come in due time. Madison stated, “Yes I have a plan, but for me it’s always gods plan, not mine… whatever he has in store.” After high school she hopes to attend college at the University of Georgia, where she plans to major in Elementary Education. Later Madison said, “I am super excited to graduate from high school! I am sad that I will be departing from all these beautiful people I’ve known my whole life, along with leaving the best staff behind. But I’ve had an amazing high school experience and I am beyond excited for this new chapter of my life! ”


Madison recalled her most favorite memory of high school saying, “My favorite high school memory that will stick with me forever was the first football game of senior year. It had been my first time cheering a football game since freshman year. The atmosphere was amazing. The students were hype, and I got to yell and cheer all night with some of my best friends by my side. I just love the feeling of being on the sideline and being able to look at all the people in the crowd.”
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Finally, as this years seniors are closing one book, they’re also opening another.

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