Helping Take The Next Step

Daniel Kawolski, Staff Writer

With the end of the school year just around the corner, seniors prepare to leave while the other classes begin the next stage of their high school careers. Notorious for being the hardest and most stressful year, junior year awaits incoming sophomore class. Junior year is the year where students really consider challenging themselves with a variety of advanced courses available. Junior year grades are also the last to show up on some college transcripts. Not to mention, this is the year of the ACT. Although a whole summer away, it will come faster than you think. But sophomores, the juniors are here to help!

The juniors in the newspaper class have brainstormed the three key things they believe will get you through junior year successfully and relieve some stress: work hard and don’t procrastinate, be organized, and have some fun.

The most common advice was to stay on top of your work! This was big because junior year is full of homework and assignments. They will end up missing or not ever being done if they aren’t turned in when they are due. Though students might tell themselves that they will just turn it in the next day, days turns into weeks, then months, then never. Junior year is notorious for these early signs of  “senioritis.” Not only is this disease contagious, but it can also ruin grades that have had so much work put into them. Pushing off homework to weekends was agreed upon as one of the worst ideas you can do. This will result in the homework either not getting done or a miserable Sunday night. The result of not doing homework is more costly than most may think. Though it seems harmless, tests will not go well if the homework doesn’t get done.  

Next, the juniors agreed that organization is a major key to a successful junior year. With all the assignments and work it is hard to remember due dates and test dates. Mix that in with activities and a social life and you have yourself a mess! When organized, stress and procrastination are less likely to consume you. Especially the organization of folders and notebooks. Nothing is worse than digging through a messy notebook looking for an assignment the night before it’s due. Staff writer, Annabelle Gallegos, suggests, “using a planner is important because you stay on track of your work so you don’t fall behind and still have social time.”

Last but most importantly…HAVE FUN! Although junior year may be stressful, there has to be some  time for you to relieve some of that stress. It still has to be kept in mind that high school is something you go through only once in a lifetime, so make the most of it while it’s happening. Join some new clubs, try new things, and expand your comfort zone. Get out and live. Be straight up with people to decrease drama and don’t hold grudges, especially with friends. Go to school activities and make some more of your own activities to enjoy your time. The most cliche idea that is most commonly forgotten is to be yourself. It’s not fun pretending to be something you’re not and nobody likes fake people. So go out, don’t be scared, and BE YOU!