As students around East Mississippi head back to school this week, Meridian High School seniors Devontae Hunter, Kortnee Roberts and Hannah Massey took their first day of class to reflect and think about the year ahead.

The first day of their senior year is bittersweet, as this year might be the last time the  students are together before they enter adulthood. 

“I’m a little scared because I’m going out into the real world,” Hunter said.

The trio are just a few of the thousands of Meridian Public School District students who started school on Wednesday. While many younger students are attending school for the first time, older students are hoping to make the best of their last years of high school.

Roberts said graduating next spring will be hard for her, because she will miss her her friends and no one will be making decisions for her. But, she said she feels prepared for the real world because she’s getting a good education at MHS. 

“You have to take control of your priorities to make sure everything is in line when you graduate,” she said.

Hunter said the one thing he will miss the most is going to MHS football games and being a wildcat .

To make their senior year more enjoyable, the class has planned a breakfast, a barbecue and a volleyball tournament, with the hope that classmates will interact with people they haven’t talked to before. 

“Something that everyone can come to where nobody will feel left out,” Massey said.

Hunter said their senior year is the perfect time to connect with everyone in the graduating class, so that when they meet for a class reunion, it will be more welcoming. 

“We want to try to make memories with everybody,” he said.