Let’s be honest­­ — you have dreamt of the day when you roll up with your squad to Palo Alto High School in a car decked out in window paint, clearly indicating that you are a part of the senior class. For me, that day came on Aug. 17, 2015, and oh was it a glorious day. Being a senior is great (minus college applications), but there are a few unspoken things about being a senior you realize once you start the 12th grade at Paly. Good news for you, because as an award-winning journalist, it is my job and duty to tell these unknowns to the world.

Camo

Wearing camo pants gives you way more power than you would think. I felt like I could run the world and no one had anything on me. It even made me think I could be Mr. Bungarden’s equal. But then I realized, no one is Mr. Bungarden’s equal, and he is superior to us all. With great power comes great responsibility, and that responsibility is dealing with the thickest ever pants in 90 degree weather. On a hot day in August, camo pants are not your friend. However, beauty is pain, and you just need to suck it up because you have been waiting for that glorious day where you can wear camo on the first day.

The Deck

The second you walk onto the senior deck, you know you have made it in life. I always thought there was a secret passcode to get onto the deck, so I was disappointed when I realized I can just walk onto it. I often look out to all the underclassmen who I know want to be me and my ego goes up just a little bit more.  Much like with wearing camo, with great power comes great responsibility, and that is dealing with how hot the deck is. If you have not have realized, the deck is wood painted in dark colors. As we learned in sixth grade science class, dark colors absorb heat, so as you sit on a black patch of the senior deck in the middle of August, you may burn alive. As a senior may question if the heat of the deck is worth it, they remember, the deck > quad so they just deal with it.

Underclassmen

As a senior, you are the top of the high school foodchain. And while at the top, you get a pleasant view of the bottom. Senior year, you perceive the underclassmen in different ways. Freshmen: cute, naïve little people who have not been mentally wrecked by Paly (yet). Sophomores: to be honest, sophomores are just there. Nothing else to it. Juniors: well, that’s another column on its own. Let’s just say, you guys do not know it all and need to get your act together. This brings me to the point of parking. Dear juniors, I do not care if you unicycle, rollerblade, heely, waveboard, or skip to school, DO NOT TAKE UP SPOTS IN THE LOT.  END OF STORY. ALSO END OF MY COLUMN. BYE PALY PALS.