This month marks the close of another summer, and the beginning of another school year here at Ross High School.  The days of staying up and sleeping in, swimming, hanging out, and just enjoying the weather have come to their annual end.  Now, students awaken each day for school, the temperature drops a little bit each week, and the nights are filled with sports and homework. No longer do our minds wander to the carefree thoughts of summer; instead, the spirit of school quickly overtakes the community.  The sweet memories of a time not so long ago, still however, linger in the minds of the students of RHS.  Not everyone is yet ready to let go of those ever-so-precious three months out of the year.

            “I really wasn’t ready for school, it’s always sad going into school.  I mean even if this is my first year of high school, it really wasn’t even different, besides the summer reading,” freshman, Jon Nieman said. 

            The attitude of the rest of Ross High’s student body isn’t much different.  Even the seniors who are now starting their last year weren’t very enthusiastic about the 2011 – 2012 school year. 
            “Yeah, I mean this year is my senior year…but I mean I’m not really excited about it.  It’s just another year to me,” senior, Brennan McGuire said. 

            This summer has been one to remember though. Concerts, trips to Kings Island, vacations, and much more all give us memories to look back on.  Several different music groups made their way to Cincinnati this year, including Jason Aldean, Lil Wayne, and Kenny Chesney.

            “Concerts were great, they are so much fun. Like everyone I know goes, I went to almost all of them.  There’s a few more coming up too that I would love to go too,” junior Abby Waterman said.

            As sad as it is leaving summer and going to school, many of us are overlooking the positive sides of school.  Coming back to school entails much more than school itself:  Friday nights under the lights of the school stadium, spending time with friends, the drama that we all know and love, and of course, the dances.  Homecoming is in the minds and hearts of every high school girl at the beginning of each year.  What dresses and colors are to be worn, who’s group is “the group” to be in, all of the who’s asking who hype soon sweeps the school as everyone rushes to find a hot date to the dance.  Of course then you have the annual announcement of the glorious kings and queens of the dance.  Floats, the parade, T – shirt sales and much more go along with Homecoming also. The annual contest to see which class is able to construct the most detailed, off-the-wall, and brilliant float keeps almost everyone busy, as if the beginning of school isn’t busy enough.  Then, of course, the excitement of the Friday night lights leaves the atmosphere of Friday’s school day ecstatic.  Gathering at the field, hoping the home team can pull out a win against the school rival.  Painting up, tail-gating with friends, suffering through the soon to come cold weather to see if the school can hang on until the clock hits 0:00.  When you think about it, coming back to school involves as much as summer does…just in different ways. 

            “All I look forward to at the start of school is homecoming, I think it’s so fun.  Everything, the buzz at school, the things we do for it…just the whole time is exciting,” junior Megan Price said. 

            Homecoming, though, isn’t the only big time of the school year.  The thrill of athletics for many students is what makes the return exciting.  Golf, cross-country, girls’ tennis, volleyball, cheerleading, and football all begin with school.  The hard work of the summer’s past will finally be given a chance to be shown off as the season finally begins. 

            “The beginning of school is always better because we actually get to start playing games and showing how good we can be,” senior football player Josh Bowman said.  “We work all summer long, lift, and go through two-a-days just so we can look good now.”

            Not big into school dances and not really an athlete?  Simply the weather finally cooling off and the leap into fall is enough to make some people happy. Hoodies, jeans, and bonfires finally start to creep back into our lives.  The sun soaked earth takes on a hint of orange and yellow as the trees and wilderness around Ross starts to begin their decent into winter.

            “Yeah, it’s safe to say the fall is probably my favorite time.  I mean summer, of course, is fun, but I look forward to it not being like 100 degrees every day finally,” freshman Dalton Jones said. 

            If the weather alone doesn’t do the trick, keep in mind that soon enough Halloween will be here.  As Homecoming wears off, and Friday nights start to lose their glory, we have the hype of Halloween to get us up and excited once more. The yearly haunted houses, and various ghoulish attractions will be a weekly event for many students here at Ross. 

            The end to summer, the return to school, for many it’s looked at as the end of the fun times, really though it could be the beginning.  This school year is bound to have as many good memories as any.  Don’t agree? If so, remember, summer is only about 260 days away!