This year’s graduating class of 2024 is like no other, demonstrated by the countless memories and stories teachers have gathered over the four years they have spent watching this class grow up.
Some teachers had the unique opportunity to teach certain students as freshman and again as seniors this year, providing a special perspective into how each student has grown into the individuals they are today.
One of those teachers is Mr. Brian Meza, a science teacher at Prep. He highlighted a real point of growth he sees within the classroom; “I love how our seniors root for each other, often over the small things. So many Anatomy students share answers or questions in class, and their peers spontaneously will clap or bust out with some affirmation.” He shared, “It’s okay for our seniors to show their curiosity, to geek out publicly, to connect their learning with something from their own life.”
While this year’s senior class is supportive and energetic, they were not always this way. Mr. Meza said, “Zoom and masked first impressions will be forever cemented in my mind.” This growth from “timid but eager eyes” to this lively bunch, shows the grace and patience of these seniors, which was “genuinely impressive”.
Although Mr. Meza reconnected with these students as seniors, he maintained ties through the strong student-teacher relationship established during freshman year. He fondly recalls the times in the hallways and on the Plaza where he would see his biology students from freshman year. He said, “Sitting next to former students and listening to them describe how our biology experience connects to their new/latest science class are some of my favorite memories.”
These connections Meza has made with his classes perfectly demonstrate how these Seniors have become who they are partially due to the inclusive and welcoming environment Meza makes at Prep. With great teachers like Mr. Meza who get to reteach a class, they can easily spot a student’s overall personal development highlighted from the contrast of their four years.
One moment of growth includes senior Elena Lovejoy. In Mr. Meza’s science class freshman year, there was an “all-time encounter with a hot plate.” Meza remembered, “Elena won the collision, we lost the hot plate, and Elena’s lab skills improved forever!”
Though the class of 2024 will have moved to bigger and better things after high school, the memories and lessons learned will carry into their futures for whatever is to come.
