To quote Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” high school was a rollercoaster of stress and emotion, yet we are still sad to see it go. When we enter as freshman, it seems so big and scary as we walk through the doors. Now as seniors, we know every trick of the trade and feel as if we have a second home here. As we enter the next phase of our lives, we have to close this chapter and start to say goodbye to our high school lives. However, there is is still some time left to do activities that would make the most out of your final days as a high schooler. Here are 12 things you should do in your last 12 days of high school.

1. Take Your Parent Out to Lunch

Your parents were there to drop you off on your first day of school, and have been rooting for you since. Graduating high school is a big milestone for you, but for them as well. And even though you have done nothing but fight with them for the last 3 years, a nice lunch would make it up to them.

      2. Make a Playlist

Put together songs that remind you of your senior year into a playlist, listen to it in the car alone. Or jam out with friends and drive around town. By putting memories to certain songs, it will make them all the more special and you will treasure them for the rest of your life. 

3. “Kanye” It

Rekindle old friendships, but not old flames. Baby, you are doing so much better without him. When you pick up the phone, text Becky, your ex-best friend from the 9th grade who you still miss on occasion and would love to grab lunch with. It’s been so long you probably can’t even remember the reason you two stopped being friends, oh that’s right, she started dating your ex-boyfriend right after you two broke up just because you had a fling with her brother, but it’s now just water under the bridge because we are adults and friendship is magic.

4. Take Pictures

Let’s face it, realistically, this could be the hottest you will ever be. So embrace that, and take as many pictures with friends as you can. Take photos while your out for lunch. Take photos during free time in class. Take photos at your final school events. Take photos everywhere!

5. Tell Your Crush You Like Them

Just go for it. If you’ve been crushing on the girl who sits in your 6th period AP Bio class but never had the guts to ask her out, go for it. We have 3 weeks left of high school, that is 15 days. 15 days of either having a hot babe or utter rejection, but you have to go for it for the glory.

6. Appreciate Your Teachers

Teachers have been the lifeline of high school and they have impacted all of us. Go visit your favorite teacher for lunch or bring them a gift basket from the Target dollar section to show your thanks. You could put a note like “sorry I was affected by senioritis and missed half of your classes. Thank you for putting up with me, and I appreciate you as my teacher.”

7. One Last Get Together

In your last days of high school, spend as much time as you can with your friends. The buds you made throughout the years that made high school tolerable. The people that nursed you through not making the cheer team, a breakup or the public humiliation of being alive that comes along with living as a teenager. Before you guys all go off for college or summer trips, have one last get together to celebrate the previous four years together. 

8. Cry At Least Once

Don’t act like the ending of high school isn’t a big deal. You have worked your whole life up to this point striving for this goal. We have only known school for the past 12 years of our lives, it’s scary and nothing will be the same, shed a tear (maybe listening to that really good playlist you made from step three).

9. Take a Lap Around the School

Stay in for lunch and just look around the school. These rustic orange walls that have become so familiar to you will be gone. Embrace the environment. The chatter of different students, the distinct smells of both the cafeteria food and puberty, Latin Dance performing during Fun Friday, and 3,000 teenagers all forced to be here by law. You will never be in an environment like this again, let alone be in the community of it. It is like Disney every day of the week with different scheduled events.

 10. Write a Letter to Your Older Self

In 5 years, life will be completely different. Write a letter to future you talking about your goals, what you hope you will become and your current thoughts. Future you will love to read (and cringe) at what you wrote and see how far you’ve come. You will never know where life takes you.

11. Have Your “Infinite” Moment

There’s a scene in the novel Perks of Being a Wallflower where the main character states, “and in that moment, I swear we were infinite,” outlining the recklessness of being a teenager with no fear of death. Have this moment, surrounded by friends and being there at that moment, without any knowledge of time and space, without a need for it. A mandatory for high school memories.

12. Be Proud of Yourself

We did it! Our whole academic career was spent striving for this one goal, and finally, we have met it. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 4 out of 5 public school students receive their high school diploma, which means you beat out that one person. Groans were heard from every senior class about the wish to drop out, even if it meant skipping class a few times a week, because let’s face it, being a senior is hard. But we made it and the day is upon us, so cherish the moments while they’re here.