Once in a Lifetime by Liam Reilly

One of my first real high school experiences came in the spring of eighth grade. I went to see Acapellooza, one of the concerts put on by the talented MHS acapella groups. The concert consists not only of the high school’s groups; other local high schools and even colleges send their acapella groups to perform. I remember this particular year there was an all-male group from what I remember to be Brandeis University, and they were really entertaining. They danced, made jokes with the audience, and had an enjoyable set. The song I enjoyed the most that they performed was “Once In a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads, which I had never heard before. The song is essentially about a man having a mid-life crisis, and the beginning of the song especially caught my attention. The singer is going through a hypothetical scenario in which he is in a life that is both wonderful and unrecognizable and he asks himself, “Well, how did I get here?” At the time, the song was entertaining, the acapella group’s rendition was pretty funny, and nothing more. Over time however, and especially recently, the song has been on my mind. Thinking about my high school journey, and what an exciting opportunity I have before me as Editor-in-Chief next year, I’ve been asking myself: Well, how did I get here?

I got here, to be Editor-in-Chief, simply by following my dreams. I always loved to write, and was on the school newspaper staff in eighth grade at the Veterans School. So naturally, my inclination was to continue writing for my school paper at the high school. The problem was that something got in my way during my freshman year: me. I was too afraid to test myself and explore what the high school had to offer and so I chose not to partake in the school newspaper my first year here. Fortunately, my sophomore year I was able to get over myself and my doubts, follow my dream and attend my first Headlight meeting, and I was hooked. I went to a second meeting, and then a third, and not before long I was a member of the Headlight staff. Dan Rosenberg and Grace Perry proved to be excellent as Editors-in-Chief and mentors in the writing process along the way. By following my dream to write, I have been able to join Headlight, and now become Editor-inChief along with Alex and Meredith.

Since I went to that first meeting, time has flown by. Looking back on how quickly my first three years of high school have passed makes me increasingly excited for my last year. With just one school year left in the high school, it is particularly important to work hard and not leave behind any regrets in all aspects of the high school experience (especially Headlight). I’m exuberant to be at the helm of what has become one of my most treasured extracurricular activities, and encourage students currently at the high school and those who will be attending next year to take a chance and do what they love, whether it is Headlight or any other activity. We all are high schoolers “once in a lifetime”, and it is important that as high schoolers we make every moment count.