As a senior in the middle of the second semester, it is easy to say that high school flies by fast and that students should try their hardest to take advantage of all the things that make the high school experience great. Besides school work and standardized tests, there are tons of things that students can carry over into college for personal enjoyment. As a student who will soon be graduating who has seen this school evolve through the past four years I have experienced three of the most important things that underclassmen should take into consideration when trying to make the most out of high school.

Number one: Make completing school work a priority. because it will only stress you out more if you leave tons of work hanging over your head. Do not cram studying during the school day and don’t finish your homework in the hallways on the way to your next class. This may seem rather obvious but it is true all the same and is the most important factor to ensure that school anxiety does not overtake you.        

Number two: Get out of your comfort zone. Join a club or play a sport even if you aren’t  familiar with it. Not only will you make new friends and meet tons of new people while participating but you will also learn new things and widen your scope of knowledge. High school is when students gain foundations of what they are interested in and will want to study in the years to come. By joining clubs and participating in school activities, students are able to discover what they are interested. Remember, if you don’t like it, you can always leave the club. It is better to try something new and dislike it then to never try at all. The more things you find out you are not interested in means you can narrow down areas of interest and find your calling easier.

Students like senior Jay Raichura decided to play a sport in high school for the first time and had no regrets. “I decided to start lacrosse sophomore year and I actually got pretty good while making so many friends on the team. Playing a sport definitely made my high school experience so much better,” Raichura said.

Number three: Do not be afraid to reach out to teachers for help. Although students often have so much on their minds and would rather spend their lunch period eating with friends, it can never hurt to go ask a teacher for help. Even if the teacher only helps you with two or three problems that take five minutes in total, it will make a huge difference. Teachers always realize which students are working hard and take that into account when grading or writing recommendations. Going into teachers for extra help surely will demonstrate a hard-working mentality that teachers will be impressed by.

Students like senior Hunter Band have taken advantage of resources so he can do as well as possible in his classes. “I love eating lunch with friends and socializing but if I have an upcoming test I always take an extra five minutes out of my lunch period to go to a teacher and get advice,” Band said.