By Grace Mirelez

The four years you spend in high school are all about what you make of them and what you come out learning whether you choose college as your path or not. Your academics, electives, sports, and clubs are all major opportunities to further your education. They could become your favorite activity or could just be a fun way to see what you’re interested in; anything can surprise you.

In my opinion, one of the first points that’s most important is picking the right classes that you think are suitable for you. You want to think about your interests and something you won’t be completely uninterested in. Sports is also a great way to be a part of something and to learn respect on or off the field or court in life.  

Any after-school program is really great to be a part of. I myself am not in any right now but my friends who are in basketball or clubs where they can volunteer like Key Club say that it teaches you a lot and for colleges, you can get really good scholarships.

The classes I chose like journalism because of writing and to be able to share ideas and opinions about collecting facts and interviewing people and also Intro to Business which gives you an overview about the industry if that’s what you’re interested in is really good.

For me, having a teacher who really is dedicated to what they are teaching and who takes their time out to help you, really helped me in every class understand and finish confidently on my assignments.

Making a schedule most students find is very resourceful. Having to balance school with the homework and tests it comes with it,  plus your after school life can be very hard and time-consuming.

Grades really matter for where you’re placed in your next semester classes by if you pass it or not and are really what teachers and colleges look at.

When you’re in class, always pay attention because it’s really easy to fall behind or not understand something and when that happens there’s also a lot of opportunities for help like mentors, after-school teaching, and the option to take a class like Resource or Study Skills. High school is a fun-filled learning experience that every choice you make matters and talking to counselors like Ms. Sweeney- Schmidt or your grade counselor is a great idea because if you’re confused or need a person to just go to they are the people for you so that you feel comfortable. How you make your years is up to you but these decisions to me really stand out the most.