June is quickly disappearing, which means the end of yet another school year. For some students, that might mean graduation, for others it could just be the start of summer; but for many Grade 8 students, it means two months before high school.
For many students who are just finishing Grade 9, high school is not at all what they expected around this time last year. High school is an entirely different world from the previous years and is quite a huge jump from middle school.
In high school, all students seem to get a taste of what some people call ‘real life’ or ‘reality.’ You learn to accept that some people will love you and some will hate you. You also learn more about the person you are and who you might want to be as you approach adulthood.
Throughout my first year in high school, I learned a great deal about myself and will now share a little bit from my Grade 9 memoirs in the hopes that it helps prepare those going into high school next year.
On the first day of Grade 9, I remember getting out of the hallways as fast as possible. Everybody is hustling to their classes as quickly as they can without straying too far from the pack.
For the first week or so, that madness in the hallways seems to never die down. However, as the year goes on, the hallways seem to get gradually bigger and less crowded and everyone gets the courage to walk alone once in a while.
Each student has different teachers and classrooms for every class. Going from room to room with a five-minute break in between is quite a big change from elementary and middle school. Because of this, some students can find high school overwhelming.
Not only does the work load and classes change, but friends and other people’s expectations of you do as well. Most things from middle school are turned completely upside down those first few days of Grade 9. The amount of responsibility expected from each student is greatly raised upon reaching high school. Although, as hard as it may seem at first, for most people it gets better as the school year progresses.
On top of all the different options for courses/classes, there are also tons of extra-curricular activities as well. In high school, there is an activity for everyone whether it is choir, major production, various sports teams, the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance), SWAT (Students Working against Tobacco), social justice, book club or the journalism team, there is always something to join.
High school is a whole new world of great opportunities for each and every student. Joining extra-curricular activities also allows you to get to know other students that you might not have otherwise met.
High school is different for each person, but I know now that it is nowhere near as scary as I made it up to be back in middle school.
» Taylor Foxon is a Grade 9 student at Neelin High School.
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition June 25, 2012
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