9 Items For Your "Before I Graduate High School" To-Do List

It might seem like the end of high school is still FOREVER away, but as the days get longer and the sun gets warmer, it’ll be here before you know it! It’s really just a few weeks away! Before you officially wrap up high school, here are nine things to add to your to-do list. I wanted you to have as many fun ideas as possible, so I reached out to my roommate, a current TMU student, and my high school friends to get their ideas too!

If your school has yearbooks and you decide to get one, get it signed by your friends, classmates and teachers. It’s a great way to have some physical, written sentiments in a world that’s so digital. You’ll love looking at these a few years down the road and who knows, maybe you’ll have a future celebrity’s signature in there! Also be sure to return the gesture and sign your friends' yearbooks. If writing isn’t your thing, drawing some pictures instead of writing a message is a fun way to leave your mark.

Everyone needs a sweet treat once in a while, right? My roommate Melissa suggests grabbing some ice cream at your local shop before the end of the school year comes. It’s a great way to chill out and cheer up with your friends after a day of school or on a weekend afternoon, especially as your local weather may be getting warmer.

My high school friend Amanda suggested making a time capsule to open once you’ve graduated from university. You can add your favourite trinkets from high school, some photos, merch or swag from your school and so much more! This is something you can do by yourself, or with some friends, and plan to open it when you’re done post-secondary.

Teachers play a HUGE role in your high school experience and even if you don’t believe it right now, you might miss them. In university, you’ll see your professors once a week in classrooms with potentially hundreds of other students, so it can be difficult to form a relationship with them compared to your high school teachers. If any of your teachers really helped you out, thank them for what they did — maybe even with a card — so they can remember you! I gave my guidance counsellor a plant at the end of grade 12 to thank her for everything she did for me, and last I heard, it was still alive!

I’m from Ottawa, Ontario, and one of the things I loved doing with my high school friends was taking the bus downtown and being tourists in our own city. It was fun to take cheesy pictures in front of the Parliament buildings, go to museums and eat at some iconic Ottawa restaurants. We often don’t take advantage of things like that in our own cities, so do it if you can!

My high school friends Hannah, Amanda and Leah all suggested taking a day trip before you graduate if you can! It’s another opportunity to make some fun memories before the school year is over. Waking up early, getting brunch, doing some shopping and having a picnic in a nearby city or town is something that you can do. Before we graduated, we did some beach days and camped outside in my backyard one night. You can even go on a day trip in your own city (see above)!

If you think that driving is something you’ll be doing often, then my roommate Melissa recommends pulling an Olivia Rodrigo and getting your driver’s license to drive yourself around. This will be helpful if you plan on driving to your university classes. It’s even helpful if you’re going out of town, because you likely won’t have access to a car to practice your driving skills. I strongly dislike driving and prefer to be a passenger princess whenever possible, but can admit that having your license is extremely helpful.

My friend Leah had the super fun idea of having a trivia night with your friends where the questions are all about your friend group! You can use a platform like Kahoot (external link, opens in new window)  to create a quiz based on yourselves and your favourite memories from high school. Get ready for a night of competition and recollection!

When I was in my first year of university, I missed my high school friends SO much. I left our hometown while they stayed, so the FOMO was real. One thing that made things easier was remembering all the good times we had together. Looking at photos helped a lot! Have a photoshoot with your besties so you can make a great Instagram dump, or print out the photos and hang them all over your dorm room. You can have a themed photoshoot, like all dressing in your favourite colours, or combine this idea with others on the list. Set up your self-timer and ring light and get snapping!

I did some of these things before the end of high school, but now I wish I did them all! If time runs out before you walk across the convocation stage, you can definitely do most of these during the summer months leading up to university. Have fun!

Until next time, 

Jenna