Somewhere between the many bells and different classrooms and teachers and AP classes and newspaper meetings and 4th periods spent in band class, I realized that this was it. This was high school. Filled with drama, laughter, and tears, its not at all like the ideal "Saved By the Bell" vision I thought it would be.

When I realized this fact, that high school was not like "Saved By the Bell," I locked myself in my room and cried for days. Ok, not really. In reality, I was a little disappointed, but I moved on. High school is so much better than "Saved By the Bell," yet at the same time, so much worse.

What's better about high school is that the life-long friends you make don't leave you for a commercial break, or at the end of the show. They are there for you whenever you need them, even at those moments at 3 a.m. when you've just had your heartbroken into millions of little pieces. As for teachers, most don't make just a cameo appearance. They become your mentors, and the people (as much as you hate to admit it) who you look up to for guidance. They are the Mr. Beldings of the world.

In many ways, high school is so much worse than "Saved By the Bell." The show doesn't always end with corny, sappy music playing in the background, and everyone learns a lesson. When bad things happen, they don't end in a half hour. They last for weeks, months, and even years. Tarah made an excellent point in her Prelate article this issue. In just our country's history alone, we've been through so much these past four years. We walk out of high school into a world, that is so much different than the world we saw when we walked in.

So, high school is not a TV show. It is real. The emotions you feel are real, and most importantly the people you meet are real. These people come and go in four years, or they may stay for a lifetime. They are a part of your life's experience and they define high school for what it is. Its all about the people.