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Updates from Upperclassmen by Kailey Boettcher

What will you do to be a Tiger? I myself am constantly working towards being the best Tiger I can be, as this is a quality all ALHS students should have. I crave the experience of attending a football game again under the lights, the experience of playing under the lights on Jim Gustafson Field, the experience of performing on stage with the lights hitting my face.

If I had to give any students advice about making the most out of their high school experience, I would tell them to listen to Paulo Coelho’s quote, “Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.” Go to those sporting events even if you have homework to do, join that sport or extracurricular activity that you have been debating over, get involved in the high school and become a Tiger. It is important that every student experiences and shows others what it means to be a Tiger at ALHS. Being a Tiger and setting the culture starts with us.

As a senior, I am able to look back at high school and all I was taught. I can confidently say that all of my favorite experiences are from attending sporting events, school dances and events put on by our school. My homecoming week experience from my junior year to my senior year was astronomical. Now some people might say my experience was different since I am a senior, but I would disagree with that statement. My senior year homecoming week, I went all out. I participated in every dress up day; I participated in our field day; I participated in Powderpuff; I participated in our Homecoming Parade; I participated in our Homecoming formal dance. At the homecoming game, I cheered as loud as I could with my friends, and we all supported our football team and the halftime performances. The bottom line is that I went to everything that was offered at our school, and I had the best time of my life. I felt what it is like to truly become a Tiger. I participated at our high school and loved it all.

Based on my experiences, I think others will have a better high school experience if they participated and attended high school events. It is really easy to see our school (and the world in general) in negative ways, but once you start seeing the school in positive ways and becoming a part of the solution, you just have to become involved. You can be a Tiger by showing up and being involved in our school. You don’t have to be on the court in all of these activities in order to be a Tiger. You just have to show up and be a part of a solution that can turn into a community. Once you realize you have an important role in our school, our community, then it can turn into something more. It can start in the classroom by raising your hand in class, saying hello to others in the hallway, being nice and considerate to others, joining a club, joining a sport — you don’t take up air. Each student matters in our high school; you can be a Tiger as long as you try and show up. So what will you do to become a Tiger?

Kailey Boettcher is a senior at Albert Lea High School.