As I return to Parker for my thirteenth year, I am overwhelmed by the significance of how long I’ve been here. Other than my family, it is the longest and most important relationship that I have ever had. I have literally spent three-quarters of my life inside of these four walls. I could walk into the building, up the stairwell, exit on the fourth floor, and walk to my junior class locker area blindfolded. I am that comfortable at Parker. Maybe too comfortable.

        Just like I know my way around, I have my rituals and routines at school. I hang out at the whiteboard tables in the library with my friends, many of whom I have known for these last twelve years, and discuss our favorite topics –– fantasy football trades, the Cubs, what to do during our breaks. I even have my favorite samplings in the cafeteria –– orange chicken on Wednesdays and burrito bowls on Thursdays. You can find me on breaks destroying my friends in ultimate tic-tac-toe by the whiteboard tables in the library and I can tell you with complete certainty that Twelve Days will always be my favorite MX.

        Don’t get me wrong, I like how comfortable I am at Parker. And I do think that there are positive aspects to feeling so secure. I have the confidence at school to be myself and to take risks. This confidence allows me to pursue my interests and join new clubs.

But, there are definitely pitfalls to feeling the way I do here. Sometimes I feel as though I have it all figured out, that there is nothing new for me to discover, no new friends to make. And I think a lot of my peers feel the same –– that we have done and seen it all in our many years at Parker. But that would be a mistake. And it would be a missed opportunity to coast through the next two years, my last at Parker, without opening my eyes a bit wider to see what else is here for me to uncover.

        I started to think about this during fall sports preseason this year. I ended up playing on a team with several kids I did not know very well. I spent time with them, and began to realize I had a lot in common with many of these guys. While I went into the season thinking I would have no one to talk to, I found myself becoming friends with many of them and enjoying my time on the team.

I must have walked by them hundreds of times in high school and, because I was so comfortable with my usual routine, friends, rhythm of the day, I never interacted with any of them in a meaningful way.

        It made me consider, what else is in my peripheral vision at Parker that I have yet to discover? Perhaps there is a teacher… Perhaps there is a club or activity I have yet to try that… And there might even be a tradition that rivals Twelve Days for me.

I know that most students already understand the fact that we have a large opportunity and Parker to follow our interest, not everybody is like me. But do we all understand the multitude of that opportunity? I could wake up tomorrow morning, make pancakes for breakfast, and in that moment I could decide to start a pancake club at school. By the end of the day I could make that club a reality and send out an email to the school announcing our first pancake extravaganza would take place the following Monday. It wouldn’t matter whether the school thought this pancake club was necessary or not, if I was interested in that, they would support that interest.

           And I dare my peers, teachers, and coaches to open their eyes this year. Going into this year don’t just follow in your footsteps from last year. Try new clubs, start a new club, get to know your peers that you don’t know well, try new lunches, actually pay attention at Morning Exes. You just might find it interesting.