Back to... Hogwarts?

Firstly, I have successfully uploaded my video where I review the book Paper Towns by John Green. You can check it out here. Tell me what you think!

Secondly, I have once again returned to that most noble of endeavors—school. Officially speaking, I am enrolled in my final year of Muggle school. But, as the first of September has passed, I’m going to refer to it as my seventh and final year at Hogwarts. That feeling you get before mounting a rollercoaster? The mix of terror and excitement knotting up in your chest? That was my summer; but now I’ve gotten on the rollercoaster, and there is no getting off until the ride is over. It’s quite hard to believe that at the end of next spring, I will have to say good-bye to my beloved school and enter the strange world of adulthood. Ah, yes, it is all bittersweet.

Bittersweet-ness aside, it is a year where I have the chance to accomplish the most I have in all of my years of schooling. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to save the world in what would have been their last years at Hogwarts. I probably won’t end up having to track down the Dark Lord and finish him at last or anything, but I do have many plans, plans that are actually happening.

In the same way that Hogwarts students must take O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s, us American Muggles get to take ACT or SAT (standardized tests). Or if you are crazy like me, both. One of the first steps to the college application process is having these standardized test scores. It is a facetious process to kids my age everywhere, but unfortunately necessary . The idea of anything after school is over is kind of unreal to most in my class. But nevertheless, we just go with it, like the twists and turns of the rollercoaster track.

Being of upperclassman status, there are even more opportunities than ever before. This means projects. And by projects, I mean Harry Potter Alliance (HPA for short). In a previous post, I talked about the work that the HPA does. In a phrase, activism Harry Potter-style. A group of students and I will be decreasing world suck through fundraisers, drives, and other campaigns. One of my goals is to make the world a better place, and hopefully I can really get started on that feat this year.

Besides this blog, I will be incorporating writing into my final year in another way: starting a school magazine. Not only will tons of students in my school be able to exhibit their own writing, but they will also get to learn a bit about the publishing and mass media industries.

Basically, this year is going to be a blast. It’ll go by faster than the speed of light (relatively anyway). Even though I will have to bid farewell to my school all too soon, it will always be there to welcome me home.