I don’t want change to come.

When I first heard about the new renovations currently taking place at my alma mater, Selma High School, I had mixed feelings. The memories I gained from there were priceless and I don’t want that to change.

When I came to Selma High in mid August 2000, I was a sophomore.  I felt like a clown fish in a pool of sharks ready to devour me if I made a misstep. After leaving a relatively progressive area like Shelbyville, Ky., I was surprised to see the small town of Selma a tad behind.

I dreaded making new friends and starting over.

Each morning, the usual routine would be to get dressed and hop into my parents’ black Chevrolet 20 van with my five sisters and head off to school. My classmates would see “big bruiser,” as they called it, from a mile away.

After weeks of uneasiness and feeling lost, things began to change for the better. No longer was I the “proper, yet country,” 16-year-old from Kentucky, but I was finally “one of them.”

I never thought after seven years of graduating, I would miss hanging out with friends in front of the big tree near the auditorium, hearing words of encouragement and instruction from teachers, joking around during gym class or rushing to class before getting reprimanded by coach Willie Maxey for being late or violating dress code.

I’ll even miss the dusty bookshelves at the library where Nancy Sewell would instruct me to resort misplaced books, or assist other students. I’ll miss the chipped wall paint, the elementary school styled desks, the basketball and football games — with the outrageous band performances and the relationships I’ve made.

Our teachers encouraged us to “reach for the stars” and not give up on our dreams. With the new school, I hope the faculty, staff and students will hold on to the same values my teachers instilled in me.

Even with changes, Selma High made me who I am today, and for that I’m proud.