The hallways quickly fill with anxious students as the morning bell rings on August 24, signaling the start of a brand new school year.

It is practically every teen’s ultimate struggle to change their sleeping schedules from waking up at noon during the summer vacation months to setting their alarms for 6 A.M. sharp—but it is time for these students to pull themselves out of bed, because each new school year holds endless possibilities at Cypress Ranch High School.

Looking back on the 2014-2015 school year, one is able to reminisce on the countless achievements made by the Mustangs. In December 2014, the varsity football team traveled to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium to compete in the State Championship. Later that year, the theatre department hosted another jaw-dropping performance in The Addams Family musical. Art awards, scholarships, and medals were gifted to Mustangs left and right, and various sports advanced past the district bracket.

Considering all of this, it is safe to say that Cy Ranch excelled in their activities last school year, aptly naming it “The Year of The Ranch.”

Now while all of these achievements were recognized during the school year, possibly one of the greatest accomplishments took place over the summer.

On June 21, 2015, the varsity Cy Ranch baseball team traveled to Dell Diamond where they competed in the 6A State Championship. The Mustangs came home with a crushing win, beating the Dallas Jesuit Rangers 3-0. This achievement allowed Cypress Ranch High School to be named the first CFISD school to send both their football and baseball team to a state championship in one year.

“[Winning the championship game] was a great way to start the summer,” said junior Hayden Evans. “Every single day at practice everyone came and worked hard. All of the players on the team got along very well so it turned into everybody fighting for their brother, not just their teammate. Our motto is ‘hard work pays off’ and we really took that into perspective and it sure did pay off in the end.”

Another big event that happened over the summer was the annual International Thespian Festival held at Lincoln University in Nebraska. Every summer, thousands of young high school students attend the festival where they spend a week on campus acting, directing, singing, dancing, learning, creating and more. This year, 25 Mustang students traveled to Lincoln University where they grew together as thespians and made unforgettable memories.

“I love going back and seeing my friends from different states that I only get to see once a year at festival,” said junior theatre student Chance Jarvis. “My favorite part would be either seeing the incredible shows every night or making so many friends from all over the world that share the same passion. I would never miss a year of festival, it is easily the best week of my summer.”

Summer vacation is supposed to be a time for relaxation and soaking up the sun, so it is understandable that most teens throw away all responsibility during the summer months to enjoy sleeping in and watching Netflix all day.

However, while those kids were sleeping in until late afternoon each day, others spent each morning in the blazing sun where they practiced diligently for their said hobby. Sports such as football, cross country and the band attended summer practices for most of the summer, ensuring they kept their stamina while on break.

“[The band] had practice everyday from 4:30 in the afternoon to 7:30 at night,” said sophomore Grace Kosley. “We practiced really hard in the heat, but we knew it would pay off during season.”

As a whole, Cy Ranch carried over their success even after the school year ended, as shown above. However, individual students also stepped out of their comfort zones to help others.

In August, junior Katelyn Arey traveled with her church group, which consisted of 12 Cy Ranch students. The group of students went to Nicoya, Costa Rica where they worked with a local church in the community. There, they built houses, volunteered at a feeding center, and loved on the people of the village.

“This was my first mission trip I have ever gone on,” said Arey. “I already can’t wait to go back next year. I made so many friendships on the trip with people in Costa Rica and with the people on the trip. A lot of students on the trip go to Ranch so we decided to start a club called Project Pura Vida. We plan to raise money and work with our mission trip leader so that we can still help the people of Nicoya even during the school year.”

While walking into school every morning asking yourself “where has summer gone?”, take a moment to look back on the best moments of summer. And while it is quite tragic that one’s days will now be spent locked inside a classroom learning about parts of the cell, remember that some of the greatest moments are also made inside those rooms. Whether it be meeting a lifelong friend or finally understanding a complicated math problem, each school year has memories just waiting to be made.