The lights flickered on, abruptly illuminating the dark stage. She could feel the warmth on her face and see the dust floating in the sky.

Ebie Lamb was the lead in “She Kills Monsters,” the CET (Community Ensemble Theatre) play during her sophomore year of high school. She remembers what felt like the longest few minutes of her life before she went onstage. As Lamb sat on the floor, she could feel her heartbeat slow as she repeated the line “just breathe” over, and over in her head. The minute her mind drifted, she refocused it on those two words.

“The only thing I remember telling myself was to ‘just breathe.’ And that’s what I did. I took really deep breaths, and now I continue to do that before each show.”

Lamb has found the shows to be less stressful over the years because she now knows that messing up a line or missing a costume change is not the end of the world. Remembering this has proven to be one of the most important things for her, because when she is able to let it go, the show will always be more enjoyable for her.

Lamb has learned so much from her first big moment onstage in her sophomore year until now, her last big moment onstage in her senior year. She has learned how to blossom into the performer she is today, and how to cope with some of the stress that comes with a performance. Lamb knows the importance of her experiences and accomplishments during CET, and it will always be something she looks back on. Primarily, her friendships and the memories she has made through CET will be one of the biggest things she remembers.

One of her biggest takeaways from being in CET is the community. Each year she has been a part of CET, Lamb has been able to meet a whole new group of people. As the seniors leave and new freshmen come in, she makes it her goal to make sure everyone feels welcome and happy. It is hard for her to think that this year she will be one of the seniors leaving.

Each year, the seniors line the stage during tech week, and people are able to say kind words about each of them as a way to say goodbye and honor all the work they have done. For Lamb, there had been conflicting emotions as she was able to hear everything that people had to say.

“When I sat there in front of all of the juniors, sophomores and freshmen, I started to get incredibly sad,” Lamb said. “I realized that I was leaving them, and I was never going to see them again.”

Although senior send-offs can be sad, it can be so prideful to hear the impact you’ve had on others’ lives. For Lamb, this was especially rewarding because she works so hard to make sure everyone feels loved and welcome within the CET community. The send-offs gave her a moment to reflect on CET as a whole, which was very special and important to her.

“I’ve made a change at this school, and I’ve impacted people, and that to me was so incredible to hear,” Lamb said. “I was sad that I was leaving these people, but I was also proud of myself because I had impacted them and I had made them feel loved.”

As her journey with CET comes to an end, Lamb realizes that she has grown in so many ways. As hard as it will be for her to let go, she is excited to move on and see what’s next for her.

“Through all my years at CET, I have grown and changed for the better. I know that you can’t be so hard and put unrealistic pressure on yourself,” Lamb said. “It’s important to take a second before you go on; look at the lights, remember your lines and just breathe.”