Katherine Anne M.

Calma
12-Cassiopeia

Speech Draft

The Crests and Troughs of High School

Everyone knows what a wave is, but we might not have the same waves in mind. Some may think
of the waves in the seas, while others may think of sound waves or even microwaves. A wave has a crest,
its highest point, and a trough, its lowest point. They are on opposite sides, but they cannot exist without
the other. High school is like a wave, constantly changing with every moment. In this wave, there are joyful
and sorrowful times. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our high school life is spent in our
homes and away from school. A trough in our lives, yes. But don’t be blue! We’ll be riding the wave of
high school today.

The crests of high school include the moments we find happiness and satisfaction. Happiness can
be found in friendships and relationships or good grades and winning competitions. When my friend
celebrated her birthday, we sang “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry instead of the Happy Birthday song. We may
have looked crazy, but that didn’t matter because we were being crazy together. High school brings us joy
in many forms. We can all agree that we make some of our best memories in high school, and these crests
are the moments we recall with a smile. However, along with the crests, there are also troughs.

The troughs of high school are times of pain and disappointment. We are bound to make mistakes
when we are young. We may say things we don’t mean or do things we know are bad. I am not proud of
it, but I have made many mistakes that make me wonder why I even did them in the first place. However,
I will not change anything because I learned. I learned the hard way, but I became a better person because
of these experiences. The troughs brought me pain and disappointment, but they also helped me heal
and learn. Knowing high school is a wave with crests and troughs, it also has equilibrium.

In the equilibrium of the high school wave, we are at peace. We can grow. After every crest and
trough, we learn things that help us grow as individuals. We build our identities and find our purposes in
life after reflecting and getting to know ourselves better. The memories we make, the people we meet,
and the experiences we go through shape us to be better versions of ourselves. The wave of high school
and its crests, troughs, and equilibrium all lead to our growth and fulfillment.

A wave will always have its crests, troughs, and equilibrium. It is the same with high school and
with life in general. My wave of high school is ending soon, but more waves will come in life. One day, you
will also have to face the raging waves of high school and the world. But do not fear. Face them head-on
and ride the waves. It will be a dynamic ride filled with laughs, tears, and the most important thing, growth.