Teen Talk
School’s Out for Summer?
By Gabrielle Harris
It’s hard to believe that this school year is just about to come to an end. It feels like just yesterday there were hoards of mothers with their children filling up Office Depot fighting for school supplies. Now it’s time to put away those pencils and to finally enjoy the summertime sunshine. But, just because its summer doesn’t mean that you should be unproductive.
Personally, this summer could not come at a more perfect time. This year has been the epitome of stress, and the thought of summer and going to the beach excites me more than anything at this point. If you ask any high school student who has finished their junior year, they will most likely say it was the most stressful year out of all of the high school years. With summer as a high school student comes responsibility. Getting a summer job, seeing friends you haven’t seen in a while, going away, and preparing to apply for colleges are all on my plate for the summer of 2014 which both excites and terrifies me.
Looking back at my junior year in high school I see many improvements to my previous years in high school. This has been the most productive and important year of my high school career and now that I’m about to be a senior, which still hasn’t dawned on me yet. It’s shocking how my freshman year was three years ago and I used to be afraid of going to school and what people would think of me and now I’m about to be a senior! It’ll probably hit me the first day of school when I walk in, knowing that’s my last first day of high school – ever. High school surprisingly does go by fast which is really scary to think about it.
One of the positive things to look at as you go into another school year is how much you’ve improved from your previous years in high school. This year my GPA has increased, I took more challenging courses, made new friends, and most importantly gained roles I never thought that I would achieve. This year I was announced as the school newspaper’s 2014-2015 Editor in Chief and if someone told me I would have that position my senior year I probably would not believe them. Even when I heard the news from my teacher I didn’t believe it.
One tip of advice from one person to another is to not focus on the negatives from a year unless if it’s something you want to improve for the year in advance. Try to focus on the positives and good things that you achieved throughout the previous year. I’m sure it will make you feel much better than focusing on the negatives and doing nothing about it. This may sound cheesy to you but in all honesty a positive mindset really can change things and how you feel towards the next year. Set a goal for yourself for the next school year or next year if you’re not in school and try to achieve that goal. Remind yourself that you can do whatever the task is that you’re trying to do. If I can go from my freshman year self of low-motivation-toward-school and not being involved in any activities to where I am now, you can definitely achieve what you set your mind to.
Gabrielle Harris is a junior at Wellington High School. She is involved in the Quidditch team, Key Club, and is the social media and news editor for the WHS Wave school newspaper. She hopes to study mass communications in college and aspires to someday tell her travel stories to the world.
Editor’s Note: Congratulations on being named Editor-in-Chief, Gabi! Way to go!!