By CONNIE NOLEN / Community Columnist

By the time this column hits the papers, the Class of 2014 will officially be seniors at Pelham High School and the Class of 2013 will be graduates. During this last week of school, PHS is working hard and celebrating enormously as our school year ends on a high note.

As exams and hard work take the forefront, we’re also taking a little time out to congratulate our spring teams who have had amazing seasons.

Our baseball team under the leadership of head coach Sean Anderson taking the state championship, our girls’ softball team coming in a close second in the state championship (You’ll get ‘em next year girls!), our track teams and soccer teams having stellar years, and senior golfer Connor Slane placing third in the state Junior Golf Tournament, have all made PHS a proud place these days. We’re proud of these teams for winning, but more than that, we’re proud that they were willing to put in the hard work and the long hours it takes to win.

We’ve also had students pull in amazing scholarships at this 11th hour. Some of our kids who were looking for full-time jobs are suddenly going to college thanks to the hard work of senior counselor Laura Cochran. We’re even celebrating those who have risen to the occasion to overcome a bad case of senioritis and earn the privilege to walk that walk in the cap and gown on graduation night.

A school year encompasses amazing transformation. Nervous freshman are leaving with a sophomore swagger. Silly sophomores leave after signing up for parking permits and feeling the responsibilities of upperclassmen. My happy-go-lucky juniors are looking a bit more like serious seniors. Off campus, a new group of almost-freshmen are searching the PHS website and cracking open their summer reading books.

And the Class of 2013? They’re headed off to do what PHS grads do—make all of us who had the privilege of knowing them very proud. PHS grads will work hard and earn their next successes—and we’ll be proud all over again.