When you got into high school, were you worried about the change in workload? Unprepared even? This article follows the different perspectives of grade levels here at pitman.
First, I interviewed two freshmen, Ela Johnson and Liam Lewis.
Ela Johnson
What was your first impression of high school?
I thought it was really cool. I thought it was pretty hectic and busy but it’s been chill
What classes are you enjoying the most and why?
Probably my ELA class or Spanish class because I have the most friends in there
What are your goals for freshman year?
Probably just to do well and focus on my sports.
Have you found any staff/teachers particularly helpful or inspiring?
I would say Mrs. Lear because she’s always there for you and you can always count on her to talk to. I would also say Mr. Sanchez because he was really quick to help me with my schedule.
Liam Lewis
How has your transition from middle school to highschool been so far?
It’s been good, it’s different but it’s been pretty fun.
What are your first impressions of highschool?
I thought it was gonna be challenging but it became easier and easier with time.
What are you most excited for in highschool?
Sports. Just sports, and that’s it. I do Cross Country and that’s it.
Then, I moved onto sophomores, Cruz Munoz and Dante Jenkins.
Cruz Munoz
How does Sophomore year compare to your Freshman year?
The workload and the amount of assignments I get is a lot more, not necessarily harder just a way more and the due dates are quicker too.
What are some challenges you faced this year that you didn’t experience as a freshman
A lot of my teachers will be harder on due dates and turning in everything on time or else there isn’t any way to make it up and it’s just a lot more work.
Dante Jenkins
What are some of your goals for the rest of highschool?
I want to just complete highschool with the highest possible academics and athletics I can. My dream would be to go to a college for athletics, preferably track. I wanna graduate in the top 20 in this class, I also want an academic scholarship, and I just wanna have fun with the rest of the time I have.
How do you balance school work with extracurricular activities and social life
Ooh that’s a big one. It’s pretty hard, now I don’t go out as much as I usually have in the past because of all the school work and athletics because I come in earlier than everybody else and then I leave later than everybody else. I don’t have much time to go out and socialize. I usually just spend my time at home doing homework and then I go to bed pretty late as well.
What advice would you give to incoming freshman
Learn to balance your time and don’t procrastinate because it’ll kill you if you take much longer to do something.
For Juniors, I interviewed Everett Partridge and Gavin Beard.
Everett Partridge
What are your biggest challenge this year and how are you handling it
My biggest challenge this year would be catching up with my schoolwork since I’m doing ASB and extracurricular activities a lot.
What classes or activities have you found most rewarding
The most rewarding activities I’ve done this year are Film Club and ASB because it’s given me the opportunity to meet so many new people and it’s allowed me to become a better leader.
What are some things you wish you knew before starting highschool
Always go out and try everything you can and be willing to meet and be friends with everyone from different backgrounds.
Gavin Beard
How has your highschool experience changed from freshman year to junior year?
I feel like there was a higher ramp up on homework since freshman year wasn’t as serious.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a junior?
Slacking off basically. I’ll put something aside and when I have homework to do and I’ll get occupied with those that aren’t as important.
How do you balance your academic workload and extracurricular activities?
I’ll try and make time in class, if I finish something early I’ll work on my homework, even if it’s just halfway done and after sports I balance out time and finish the rest.
What are your goals for the future years?
To have all APs and get accepted into a college for medical school and get my biology degree and undergraduate.
Senior year is filled with emotions. I talked to Isabella Rosas and Jaylene Quinitella about their views.
Isabella Rosas
What are some things you wish you had done differently
Definitely my freshman year, that’s my biggest regret. Not putting in the amount of effort that I needed to but I really think it’s because I didn’t know how highschool worked. Especially because of Covid too. That kinda just really ruined my experience in the beginning.
How do you handle the stress of tests now?
Honestly I feel like I don’t care enough to stress anymore. After four years of being in highschool I have grown to just get over it because it’s really not worth wasting time to just be stressed about a test. You’re either prepared or you’re not, you can’t really feel sorry for yourself, so you either get ready for it or just fail. And if you fail you just gotta get your grade back up.
What classes or teacher had the most impact on you and why
Probably, freshman year, Mr. Matthews class. I would say that just because he’s a really good teacher and as I’ve said before, freshman year wasn’t a good year, especially since it being my first year in highschool. He was just really welcoming and such a good role model, especially because we shared the same interest in philosophy and math. He was the only reason why I continued coming to school sometimes.
Jaylene Quintella
What advice would you give to freshman?
Don’t procrastinate and don’t slack off in your work because if you have a good start, you’ll have a good rest of your year.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in highschool and how did you overcome it?
I think the biggest challenge was my Chemistry Class last year because it was really really hard and I think what helped me the most was making friendships there and collaborating with them because we were all really struggling.
What classes or teachers had the most impact on you and why?
The class that had the most impact on me was Mrs. Halls because she was the sweetest and I just had the greatest time all the time with her. Mr. Reza, Mrs. Mercado, she made me realize I wanted to do more with math. Mr. Santos as well. I feel like they all really brought me out of my shell.
In all, a common theme is regretting not taking high school seriously, whether it be for seniors and the way Covid-19 affected them, or the struggle of procrastinating and balancing social life. After reading this article, it’s good to recognize these struggles as some of you may even be struggling with them right now.