WOODBURY — As I walked into school April 22, shivering from the bitter weather, a wave of stress crashed into my mind as I realized we still have two months left of this. 

Left of what? The place where I have written essay after essay, worked through test after test, and have spent endless hours listening to my teachers ramble. 

Don’t get me wrong, school isn’t the worst thing in the world, but coming back from spring break, it sure felt like it. 

We’re so close to the end, yet still so far away. 

The nine days of April vacation flew by, but that didn’t mean we didn’t feel the tease of summer. Waking up at 10 a.m. was the new normal, savoring the feeling of having nothing to do but enjoying the warm sun, attempting to achieve that elusive tan with a UV index of only six. 

Those who spent their time on the side of a cruise ship surrounded by vibrant teal water, sipping on what was probably their fourth Shirley Temple of the day, found it even harder to return to the unpredictable New England weather — and similarly stressful classes. 

Ava Hirleman, a freshman at Nonnewaug, was vacationing on a cruise during spring break. When she landed home at LaGuardia Airport in New York on April 21, she was faced with the stark reality of spring in the Northeast. 

“As soon as I got off the airplane, I could feel the colder weather. It was way different than what I was used to the whole week in the Bahamas. Then the fact that I had to go to school the next day made me wanna cry,” said Hirleman. “I had to get back into a reasonable sleeping routine, which was difficult, having to fall asleep and wake up early.”

Regardless of how enjoyable spring break was, and the urge not to come back, when I had no choice but to snap back into reality Monday morning, the motivation was absent. 

Having worked hard in school for what has felt like so long, the craving for summer is more present than ever — especially in the final stretch. The last few math tests, English essays, and science Gizmos being given seem tortuous, making it even harder to try and keep going. 

But looking on the bright side, we’ve only got seven weeks left. There are only six more weeks of classes before finals. Every time I’m tempted to give up, I realize that my ambitions are stronger than my laziness. 

The top 10% of the Nonnewaug class of 2024 were recognized last week, and I realized that my goals start now. I’m going to embrace every last moment of being a freshman — the camaraderie of Mrs. Gambardella’s English class, the final weeks of honors-level classes before I make the jump to APs as a sophomore, and hanging out with some of the soon-to-be graduates I’ll miss the most, like Gianna Lodice and Layla Coppola.

As I reach the final stretch of freshman year, the two months we still have left shouldn’t be taken for granted. After all, you’re only a freshman in high school once. 

This is the opinion of Chief Advocate reporter Addison Bushka, a freshman at Nonnewaug.