Dear class of 2025, you’ve survived the tests, homework, and stress of the last four years — semester one of senior year, to be more specific. More than anything, though, you’ve overcome obstacles, thrived when put to the test, and grown into the most mature versions of yourselves. Fully embracing the “work hard, play hard” model of Berkeley High School, you all have truly made the most of your high school experience.
Your grade has truly left its mark on BHS. You’ve dressed up to the nines — or barely worn anything — in red and gold for Rally Day, spent hours putting together unforgettable performing arts productions, trained relentlessly in athletics, and taken a few too many trips to Stinson Beach. You’ve filled BHS with laughter, strength, courage, and most of all, school spirit. You’ve fought for the right for 16- and 17-year-olds to vote for school board candidates. You’ve been artists, scholars, activists, friends, and fighters.
The halls of BHS echoed with your voices and chants when you organized walkouts and protests aimed at calling out anything you believed needed change; whether it be regarding our community or nation at large, your ability to mobilize and advocate against everything from fascism to racial profiling and discrimination is such a crucial part of the quintessential “BHS experience.” You’ve proven to be resilient, coming to BHS straight out of lockdown having never said a proper goodbye to your middle schools. Let yourself enjoy this — for the eighth grader still inside you, and the evolved, intelligent individual you are today. Your extracurriculars may have started out as filler for your college applications or resume, but are ultimately what have shaped you into someone ready for the next chapter of your journey. From submitting a Friday shoutout to suck up to your favorite teacher that you wanted a letter of recommendation from, to standing in the blazing hot sun during a bakesale for your club, you’ve been the hands that held up your communities.
One aspect that makes BHS so special is the distinct individuality each person brings. You’ve found joy in learning the story of the kid next to you in math class, in discovering a new thrift store from that person with great style, in getting to know that one teacher that became a close confidant, and of course, having a new and untouchable hallway crush every year. Class of 2025, after all you’ve accomplished, you’ve laid the groundwork for future classes to come. From here, we hope you will keep dreaming, laughing, trying, and living life large. We know you will bring the Berkeley spirit wherever you land, and we can’t wait to see how much more you will achieve!