The First Week of High School

The First Week of High School

As I am now nearing my senior year of high school, I look back and remember my first days of attendance at Taylorsville High School. My first week as a sophomore met me with several challenges and instilled in me a variety of emotions new to me. Looking back on that week, I think of several items that, would have saved me a lot of trouble had I known them at the time. I found these secrets myself through the course of natural events. I believe that, if applied, they will make the first week—and following high school experience—of any sophomore who applies them much easier and more fun. It is my hope that the secrets I am about to share will be for the benefit of the new students of the high school I love so much. May the sophomores who read this take it seriously, and may their first week of school be all the better for it.

My first word of advice is confidence. It can be easy for new students at any high school to feel intimidated or overpowered. However, those feelings will pass with time as you grow more accustomed to the high school life. Every other student at the school has gone through the exact same experience, and they all came out alive. Confidence is the primary factor for your success at school in every aspect of it.

The next thing all you sophomores need to remember is that high school—besides being bigger and busier—is a much different place that what you are accustomed to. With more diverse classes, many new people from other junior highs, and dozens of teams, clubs, and cliques, it can be even more intimidating. Just remember to be confident; open yourself to these new ideas. Introduce yourself, and get to know the people in your classes. You will be with them for the rest of your high school experience, and the longer you wait to introduce yourself to them, the harder it will be. If you enter your classes with an open mind and make a good first impression, you will find yourself making many new friends very quickly.

To add to this friend-making business, I am going to let you in on another little secret that I have discovered: the opposite sex does not have cooties, contrary to popular belief. Keep your eye out for that cute girl, or that studly guy, and then introduce yourself. High school is meant to be a fun time of your life. Eventually you will realize that the more friends you have of the opposite gender, the more fun it is. However, a word of advice: try not to get into a steady relationship. A good friendship with multiple people of the opposite gender is much more fun than a really tight relationship with one of them. Remember that you are only in high school once, and that you will have plenty of time later to have relationships. For now, take it easy, and have fun. Make wonderful memories that will last a lifetime, not a phony relationship that will last to graduation.

Another good way to have fun in high school and have awesome experiences is to involve yourself with the school. If you want to join a club or a team, join it. Remember that confidence is key; don’t back down from something that you want to do just because you are afraid to try it. Personally, I haven’t gone straight home after school since elementary school. I have involved myself with many teams, including Cross Country, Track, the Academic Team, Swim, and even Water Polo. When I joined the Swim team as a sophomore, I didn’t really even know how to swim. I joined Water Polo later that year not even knowing what it was or how it was played. If I had never gotten involved with my school, the only memory I would have of high school is going home and playing endless hours of video games. Yet here I am two years later, and I can look back on my high school experience and recall so many wonderful times that I’ve had on these teams. I have met many wonderful friends and gained many new skills; where I couldn’t swim before, I can now swim all four competitive strokes. Where I didn’t know what Water Polo was before, I can now tread water with ease, play the sport relatively well, and have a great time while doing it. I can say that I am proud to be a Warrior, because I have fought, lost, won, and become a better person by being Warrior. One of the best words of advice I can give is to take pride in your school and join the clubs and sports that will make you happy. It has made all the difference in my experience.

To sum it all up, start the year out how you want it to end. If you want good grades, start working for those grades immediately. If you want to have a lot of friends, start meeting people right off the bat, and it will happen. If you want to be a student body officer, a star athlete, the President of a club, part of the school musical, or even just a good student, then the best time to start is the first week of school when your slate is clean. Get on top of your work, investigate what the school has to offer you, and give the school what you have to offer it. Remember that your year will end the way that you want it to end, but you have to start now; confidence is the key.

I do not think that I have much more advice to give that can help you with your first week (and year) of high school. The only other pointers I can think of are to bring a chair to mass class change day (because the line is horrendously long) and to not be afraid to try the cafeteria food, because it is actually pretty darn good. Other than that, remember what I’ve said, and you should be ready to rock and roll. High school is what you make it; nothing more, nothing less.