For Staples High School’s Class of 2025, graduation is just days away.
“06880” intern Katherine Phelps takes time from her work — and a whirlwind of activities — to reflect on her past 4 years.
Since freshman year, I’ve dreamed of hearing the words: “Turn your tassel to the left. Congratulations, Class of 2025!”
But now, with graduation so near, that dream feels surreal. I can’t help but feel reflective and nostalgic on the topic, even though there were moments where high school seemed like a war zone.
One of my earliest memories at Staples was cheerleading at my first football game. I felt like a tiny fish in a giant sea of people who were more mature, polished and confident.
Katherine Phelps, as a freshman cheerleader.
I looked up at the senior section, and realized the time between now and when I was a Bedford 6th grader was the same. I felt as though I had an infinite amount of time before graduating.
I was so incorrect.
Freshman year is hazy now — maybe because I spent much of it behind a mask.
But one moment stands out: my first Global Themes Honors test. No one warned me how different high school would be.
I had studied hard, reviewed every slide, and still found myself staring at the exam in confusion. I looked around the room, hoping the posters on the wall about propaganda would call out an answer to me.
No surprise: I got a D.
I was crushed. I sobbed to my mother, convinced that this test was the final hurdle to college.
Of course, it wasn’t. I bounced back, figured out how to study for Global and my other classes, nailed the Pythagorean theorem, and discovered a love for Spanish — all within the same year.
Katherine Phelps
Sophomore year came with confidence. I took more honors classes, and mostly thrived — except Algebra 2A.
The quadratic formula felt like my mortal enemy. I worked harder than ever, haunted by z’s and y’s even while writing research papers and studying for chemistry.
I prayed to the math gods the night before my final — yes, really — and somehow, it worked.
A 94 on the final. A final grade of 89.6. An A-. All was beautiful in the world.
But junior year was far from beautiful. It was instead something sent from the devil.
I had always put pressure on myself to do well. Taking 3 AP classes was no easy task. In fact, it was rather horrible.
I was not even close to being the smartest in the room. After getting a D on an AP Language test, my 14-year-old panic flooded back.
Between Lang, Government and Pre-calculus tests, I not only developed severe imposter syndrome — feeling like I did not belong in those courses — but I was also diagnosed with anxiety.
I began seeing a therapist, with whom I could talk about my stress. I was not ashamed; I was grateful somebody could listen and relate to me.
Despite receiving advice to drop one of my AP classes, I chose not to comply. I knew the first quarter of junior year was supposed to be rough. It definitely was.
However, I persisted through the year, and ended up succeeding. I just needed a minute to figure everything out.
Junior year drained me. I spent 4 hours a day either doing homework or studying — in addition to cheerleading, running Service Leauge of Girls, and being an editor for Inklings.
While my friends joked around and called me a “try-hard,” or made fun of me for studying at football games, I knew it would all pay off.
Senior year brought relief. I had tackled most of my college essays during the summer, and while my APs were still tough, I had learned how to handle them.
But college decisions? That was a new kind of stress.
I had applied early decision to Boston College, and I tried my hardest to stay calm.
On December 3 — the night before my 18th birthday — I received news from BC: I was deferred.
Tears ran down my face, and I felt like the walls would cave in.
It sounds dramatic, because it was.
I did not want to celebrate my birthday; I just wanted to be sad. Going to school the next day, my best friends hugged me and wished me a happy birthday, but I felt so ashamed. Everybody knew I wanted BC, and I didn’t get in.
The waiting game dragged on. More deferrals. More uncertainty.
Then, on March 14, I got into Bucknell. I was thrilled.
Wearing Bucknell merch on decision day, with Katie Hannon.
Three days later — on my last night with Inklings — BC’s final decision came out. I waited until I got home to find out.
I was waitlisted. Another heartbreak.
I committed to Bucknell, wore my logo shirt proudly on decision day, and started getting excited.
Five days later, I got an email: I was off the BC waitlist.
I screamed. I cried happy tears this time. All those letters of continued interest, late nights and stressful days finally paid off.
The day Katherine got into BC.
On the night I was accepted into BC and made my commitment, I became extremely reflective. I could not believe I was going to my dream school.
I went through photos on my phone, scrolling back to the first day of high school. I found images of myself crying by being exhausted from studying, and of crying from doing poorly on a test.
But I also found photos of myself smiling with my friends, cheering, and making memories.
If I could go back in time, I’d tell my freshman self to relax and have more fun. I’d tell my sophomore self not to stress so much. I’d tell my junior self to breathe, ask for help, and trust that things will fall into place.
And I’d tell myself on December 3 that this terrible and heartbreaking decision would turn out to be something awesome. I just needed to wait 5 more months.
Now, with graduation so close, I know that there is so much I still do not know.
However, I thank Staples for teaching me to persevere in times of difficulty, for giving me lifelong friends, and for allowing me to better understand myself.
I am ready and excited to navigate this next chapter of my life.
Senior Day for cheer! Katherine Phelps (right) with Ava Bakaleinik.
Great job Katherine. You are such a hard working and thoughtful person. Can’t wait to hear about the next part of your journey.
Great story 💕
This is so beautifully written. I’d want the incoming freshman to read this story.
what a beautifully written description of the high school experience. Katherine will learn after one month in college how much better prepared she is than just about everyone in her class. Staples rules.
Congratulations Katherine; enjoy the moment! An education from Staples HS is a gift that keeps on giving as you will soon find out, and it will benefit you the rest of your life. My 50th reunion is this year and not a day goes by that I don’t think of a classmate or teacher from those days.
As the parent of a recent Staples Grad, I would add a few more words of wisdom for our over-stressed children who might be reading this, and it starts with what should be obvious – that Bucknell wouldn’t have been so bad.
While it’s great that Katherine got into her “dream school” – most don’t. And that’s fine. I didn’t, but 35 years on, and fresh from attending my class reunion, I LOVE my alma mater (a bitter rival to Bucknell in the Patriot League, btw). While not getting into your top choice might be hard to swallow, I promise you it doesn’t matter, not in the long run, and not even in the short run. You’ll get to school, make friends, learn a ton, and have fun in the process. If you are miserable, you’ll transfer, choosing a new school with the wisdom you’ve gained over a year or two wherever you landed.
Kids at Staples should not be feeling the level of anxiety over school choice that they are experiencing. Most will not struggle to pay for college. Nearly all will get in somewhere. Something about Staples, and Westport, ratchets up the pressure on our children, to the point where a dedicated student like Katherine thinks her first (and maybe only) “D” will ensure she will be chained to a yoke in some grist mill for the rest of her life.
Katherine is far from alone in her age group in having issues with anxiety, and there are many, many theories as to why her age cohort struggles disproportionately (COVID, social media, phones, etc etc). I worry that some poor senior who didn’t get off the waitlist for their “dream school” will read this and go into their first year at their third-choice school with their head hung low and a transfer application already half-completed.
If that’s you, know this: I promise you, your undergraduate experience is half about your attitude and openness to new experiences, and half luck. It has nothing to do with the marketing materials you read on the campus tour, or the fact that your best friend’s older sister loves it there. Or even that your Dad hoped that you could carry on the family tradition somewhere.
Remember that your fellow first years are all in the same boat, feeling a little nervous, hoping they find new friends, worried they’ll be excluded, scared about the unknown. Lead with compassion and kindness, and you’ll have a great experience.
Richard, well said. I happened to get together today with three friends from the Staples class of ‘71. I don’t look at the past with rose-colored glasses; I have always maintained that some things were better, some were worse; and some things remain pretty much the same.
But reading today’s “06880” reinforces for me that, purely with respect to academic/college pressures, we were very fortunate to have been at Staples over 50 years ago in a much less stressful time.
Katherine, wishing you the best in your first year at BC.
What a fantastic story !
This is great, and it’s always eye opening for the “older” crowd to get some current perspective. You’ll read posts from the nostalgic crowd, and that’s part of the Staples lore.
Growing up in a 1% town is hard, because you feel the expectations, even if they don’t align with your life goals. Most posters lived here before the average home price was under $2M. Way under.
You’ve graduated from an amazing HS, navigated that into a great college, and college in Boston will be both fun and fulfilling both personally and professionally.
I always think about the kids who are stuck with their safety school, and are frustrated with everything and everyone. Or the Staples grads who choose a different path. Maybe it’s the trades. Or community college. Or the military.
What moves society ahead is acceptance, and you clearly get that.
Go get it, as a former writer, thanks for sharing.
Reading this, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own path after high school. I never went to college like so many of my classmates, who went on to places like Harvard and Yale. Instead, I went straight into the Air Force. I was never particularly good at school, but the Air Force gave me a real-world education that led me to become a finance specialist and comptroller. I left the service with a technical degree and a solid job in New York’s Financial District.
Reading your story about the stress of AP classes, the fear of college rejections, and the excitement of finally getting in reminded me that there’s so much pressure to follow the “right” path. But the truth is, success doesn’t only come from going to a prestigious school or getting perfect grades. It comes from resilience, a willingness to adapt, and finding your own opportunities.
For any young person reading this: don’t worry if things don’t go exactly as planned. College prestige means less than ever these days, especially when even Ivy League grads are struggling to find jobs. Focus on what you love to do, work hard, and stay open to different paths. Life has a funny way of working out when you’re willing to make the most of what you have.