Students lay scattered in haphazard clumps on the luscious lawn of the quad, shielding their eyes from bright rays of sunlight. On the side, four seniors partake in an intense game of spikeball, entertaining the lazy onlookers. To cap it off, indie music floats out from surrounding speakers, drowning out the loud squawks of seagulls hoping to collect delicious remains of forgotten lunches.
Long gone are the days of intense studying in the library as AP prep books collect dust on forgotten shelves waiting for next year’s round of eager students. Summer is in full swing and any thoughts of school assignments are out the window.
With this relaxed state of mind, students have time to reflect on the school year. Sophomore Omkar Perinkulam said he enjoyed this past year because he could explore new subjects such as stage tech.
“I got to do designing for a (theater) show, and it was really fun to do that for the first time,” Perinkulam said.
Perinkulam also said during sophomore year he was able to explore material in classes on a deeper level and learn new concepts.
“The class difficulty was a lot harder than my freshman classes,” Perinkulam said. “Even though I took honors wherever I could (freshmen year), (sophomore) year was a lot harder and a big step up.”
Perinkulam said his advice to rising sophomores for next year is to be careful about balancing a manageable course load. He said students should consider lane-ing down if the class is too difficult in the first couple of weeks.
“I mean, you should only take it if the class is challenging enough for you to step out of your comfort zone but not too challenging where you get overwhelmed and your grades suffer,” Perinkulam said.
Science department instructional leader and Teams teacher Elizabeth Brimhall said high school is a period to grow and learn to maintain a healthy work-life balance. She recommends students don’t forget to sleep and spend time with friends.
“(Students’) days get so scheduled, so it’s easy to let (sleep and social life) drop,” Brimhall said. “You will have a better high school experience if you take care of your triangle, which is: eat healthy, get enough sleep… and exercise daily.”
Also, Brimhall advises students who are falling behind to seek help as soon as possible.
“Communicating with teachers is really important,” Brimhall said. “If you’re in the class and you realize I’m not doing well, go see that teacher. In many cases, with the support of a teacher, you’ll be fine in that class.”
Junior Savannah Earley said she cautions rising students to be aware of their course load.
“Especially taking APs, don’t underestimate how hard it’s going to be as you get older,” Earley said. “Always prepare yourself for the worst, (but) expect good to come out.”
Senior Alessandra Chandler said the same applies to college applications. She advises students to get a head start.
“People underestimate the time college apps take, so I would do them (over the summer),” Chandler said. “Also, your first semester grades matter if you’re not EA-ing anywhere. So make sure you keep your grades up.”
Chandler also said while rising seniors might be busy, they should enjoy their free time and capitalize on great school events like Spirit Week and Senior Elimination.
“I feel like I’m having such a fun time because we have all these super fun traditions,” Chandler said. “I would tell the incoming seniors to embrace their senior year. It’s their last year in high school and their last time going to school with all of these people, so just have fun.”
