The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch
The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch
The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

Take time to ‘remember when’

Lauren McClamroch, Executive Sports Editor • May 20, 2026
Erin Jeon
Torch editor Lauren McClamroch (center left) reminisces about her high school memories. McClamroch frequently uses the phrase “remember when” to reflect on memories with friends and comfort her through periods of change.

If my friend group has one phrase we say most, it would be “remember when.”

I have grown up with the same friends since elementary school, which means over the years we have made a multitude of memories, laughed at the stupidest things and been with each other through thick and thin. Over the years, we have found ourselves going back to the same moments again and again.

“Remember when” is a comforting phrase. It brings my friends and me back to the times we can reflect on and know the outcome of, whether we are laughing or crying about what happened. It is a phrase that grounds us and strengthens our long-lasting friendships as we bond over the memories we have made together.  

Throughout high school, we have continued to make many more “remember when” moments, and even the smallest memories have helped me shape my experience. 

Remember when we went to the cafeteria every SRT freshman year to get smoothies, feeling like we had more freedom than ever? Remember when we danced to music blasting on the locker room speaker after we had dreaded the swim unit? Remember when we sat in the courtyard on the first 75 degree day of the spring to tan?

The small moments we look back on are what shape us and fuel our friendships and memories.This year I have begun to realize we are making the last of our “remember when” moments. Soon we will be reminiscing about the memories that in the moment we know will be our last. Our last time stepping onto a court or field, our last school dance and even our last big project to turn in. 

A year from now we will realize that all we have from high school is our “remember when” moments. For many of us, we will no longer be making the same memories with each other, but instead with people who are currently strangers and places that will eventually become our new homes.

It is terrifying to think about the fact that in a few days, the class of 2026 will refer to high school as a part of the past, and we will all be remembering the time we were truly kids. But it is the “remember when” moments, the small memories and the random laughs in between passing periods, that will keep the memories we cherish and love about high school alive. These moments will comfort us through whatever comes next.