Josh Book, a rising senior at Slippery Rock Area High School, said he remembers the first day of his freshman year as though it were yesterday.

Josh said his first few moments in high school were spent reflecting on the time it would take to graduate. About four years later, he and the rest of the prospective high school graduates of Butler County are preparing for what’s next.

“I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I have a long ways to go until this is over,’” Josh said about his freshman year. “And that feels just like it was yesterday.”

As he waits to officially start his senior year, Josh said he would advise the incoming class of first-year students to enjoy their time in high school as much as they can.

“Get involved as soon as you can,” said Abby Walsh, a senior at Freeport Area High School. “There are so many outreach clubs, musicals and after-school activities. I didn’t really do that freshman year. It’s what everyone says, but it’s so true — the second I started (doing activities), I had fun.”

“The second you can get involved, you need to,” she said.

Cody Stebbins, a rising senior at Freeport high school, said he joined several extracurriculars on top of schoolwork and Advanced Placement courses. Rifle team meets for practice almost every day in the late fall, he said. Then there’s Dungeons and Dragons Club, which meets once a week, and marching band, which he attends every Friday night in the fall as well as one to two times a week.

Cody is also part of an out-of-school jazz band.

Looking back on his first day of freshman year, he said he remembers feeling a rush of excitement.

“Everything was new,” he said. “I don’t remember being scared at all — I was just filled with anticipation.”

For students preparing for their first day of high school, Cody’s advice is simple:

“Do your homework early enough that you can get eight hours of sleep,” he said. “And say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. You might regret going, but you’ll definitely regret not going.”

“I used to be really hesitant to get into certain things,” Cody said. “Rifle Club, I was going to join it freshman year, but I got complacent and decided not to join. I’m so glad I joined — it’s a lot of fun, and I never expected it to be so fun.”

After high school, Cody said he plans to study electrical and mechanical engineering, and he is already eyeing graduate school for aerospace engineering.

He’s been building up to this point for four years, he said, intentionally taking advanced science classes that will set him up for success once he graduates.

In the meantime, the last few weeks of summer are spent exploring.

Together with his girlfriend, who just graduated from Freeport and will attend the University of Dayton in the fall, Cody has been visiting the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, using his newly-issued Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh card to explore as many museums as he can free of charge before summer ends.

Josh said he is looking forward to continue making high school memories while he still can.

“Time’s almost running out,” he said.

“I’ve been playing a lot of basketball with friends and trying to make the most of it,” he said.

A basketball player, Josh will continue playing the sport at Grove City College after graduation.

“I’m a little nervous about what’s next, but I’m excited for it,” he said.

For Abby, who plans to attend college out-of-state to study English or broadcast journalism, looking ahead to her last year of high school is bittersweet.

As she waits for her last first day as a high school student, she divides her time between completing assignments that were assigned over summer break and working two jobs at a golf course and a bakery.

It’s also college admissions season, Abby said, which means that much of the 17-year-old’s time is spent writing personal statements and application essays.

“It’s really hard in the (Common Application) to sum up your whole life in the chunks they’re looking for,” she said. “How do I accurately represent myself as a person?”

Abby said she’s not nervous about taking the plunge as a senior and prospective graduate, but that she will miss seeing her friends and parents every day. Between summer assignments and work, she said she is taking time to spend with friends before school starts.

“You’re ending that chapter of your life,” she said. “But at the end of the day, it’s exciting.”

“You can branch out — you have more freedom the older you get,” Abby said. “The second you start to taste that freedom, it’s like, I’m ready to close that chapter.”