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 I have to admit, high school did not speed on pass me; in fact, it did everything but speed pass me. I have already spent 12 years of my life here. Still remember the first grade entrance exam I took to be admitted into the Bilingual Department. I was instructed to put the teddy bear under my seat and walk to the door. I remember how I use to play unicorn in the playground and have calligraphy class. I still remember the first time I cheated on my math test in 3rd grade. I was so afraid of getting caught. I have been here for too long and remember way too much. Everything I am today, everything I have come to believe in, to live for, I thank you NEHS. I am, 100%, an NEHS baby. This is my home, as much as it may change, it will always be my home and the place my childhood memories were created. But now, it's time for me to move on, entering the real world with everything NEHS has taught me. I feel more than ever, prepared.
∼12A Emily Yu
I can barely remember life before NEHS. This may seem rather laughable to some and perhaps simply surprising to a few, but for me it is simply just life as it has always been. On my first day of school, I remember wandering through the unfamiliar halls with my older sister Jessica. We barely spoke more than two words of Chinese and understood little more than that. I remember her tapping every other person on the shoulder and asking, “Excuse me, where is Mrs. McGuire's class?” Of course, no one understood us, and it wasn't until about two hours later that we realized we had somehow wandered into the Elementary Department and gotten lost.
During my first few years in Taiwan, NEHS was simply a school, a place I was forced to go to every single day. Soon the whole thing began to become routine, almost a habit. Registration, field day, flag ceremonies, dirty toilets, clean-up time, the bilingual department bell, the green cabinets, and soon I realized I began to like it... a lot. As I grew up, the school around me changed and grew up as well. The large grassy hill was flattened out and replaced with a playground. The stone slides in the quadrangle became planters, and then stairs. The two patches of weeds and flowers were cleaned out and replaced with benches, bricks, and a pond. The tree our first grade class had planted together had grown tall and heavy with leaves, and eventually it began to get in the way of the new trees and flowers and had to be cut down.
I've come a long way since asking, ”Excuse me, where is Mrs. McGuire's class?” There have been good times, bad times, and others I'd simply like to forget. But I am grateful for everything I have learned here, and for every friend I have made. So to all of you who have contributed to making my NEHS experience everything it has been: thank you.
∼12A Joy Huang
National Experimental High School has been a second home to me. I came to this school back in the days when it was pristine and unadulterated. I remember the good old days when the sliders in the quad were just that: slides. I remember having the ghetto playground by the tennis court. I remember when the administration office was on the second floor. I remember... NEHS is about memories, and I will attempt to share some with you, so that you may also know what it feels like to be member of the NEHS community.
Elementary school had been a new beginning. I remember my second grade sweetheart, Ada. I would always buy candy for her from the school store, and I would be especially nice to her. Did I mention that I was a horrible little boy? I got in trouble all the time. I used to sing a perverse version of “Joy to the World” to Joy until she told on me. Once, because I didn't feel like completing my math homework, I tore out some pages from my math
 book so I wouldn't have to do them. When my teacher interrogated me about the missing pages, I naively answered, “I don't know, I think the pages fell out.” To this outrageous lie, my teacher condemned me and called my parents. Another time, I found a dead bat in the art room. I decided to claim the bat in the name of Science. The one and only Mrs. Tsai, currently the Coordinator of Sanitation, previously my art teacher, uncovered my little ploy and made me do chores. I have done other bad things, many of which I should not disclose here.
 High school had been a time of personal growth and academic achievement. During these precious high school years, I have grown close to my once distant classmates. In those peers, I have found siblings. In those rivals, I have found friends. Our grade is truly unique; although we have been a constant pain to our dear administrators, we are virtuous students. Sometimes, members in our grade fail to get along, but in times of need, we unite. The high school years had been full of memories. Birthday parties, Spirit Week, weekend hangouts...these I will forever cherish.
My years at NEHS have been filled with tears (figuratively), joy, triumph, and love. To my dear seniors: “I love you guys!”
∼12A Jefferson Lei
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