By David Brown
High School is a great place for meeting new friends and furthering your knowledge through education and life experiences. For some people, it is an easy place to adapt and thrive, while others struggle and stagger behind.
Whether they admit it or not, everyone feels nervous when entering a new school. While it can take months to get used to a new place, you will feel more comfortable if you really try to immerse yourself in the NAHS experience. Here is some advice I have for freshmen to help make your transition into high school a little easier.
- Join a club or sport
There are dozens of clubs run in the school for just about everyone, ranging from photography to anime. For a complete list of the different clubs and activities that NAHS has to offer, click here. If you don’t see anything that catches your interest, the process for starting a club of your own is relatively simple–just bring your suggestion to the office to get it approved.
If photography or theater aren’t among your favorite activities, then try a new sport. You might have missed your chance to play a fall sport, but the winter season will be here before you know it. Think about signing up for winter track, cheerleading, basketball, or hockey. Stay tuned to future publications to hear about tryouts or sign-ups.
Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, it’s never too late to try something new, especially if it’s something you’re really interested in.
- Make new friends
Making friends is a great way to make the high school experience better in every way. It’s important to try to branch out and make friends who are in different groups. You can meet new people by striking up a conversation with someone in your class, or trying to sit with a new group of people at lunch. It might seem awkward at first, but you can find similarities in the most unlikely places. This is also a great way to make sure that your weekends are booked weeks in advance. You never know what you have in common with someone before you talk to them, so take a chance and be friendly!
- Stay on top of school work
Being involved in different clubs, organizations and sports sometimes makes completing school work seem impossible, which is why you’ve got to figure out how to manage your time from early on in high school. One way to achieve this balance is to have a schedule planned out to complete all of your homework. Breaking tasks down step by step makes them seem easier, which will make you feel more productive and keep you motivated. This will help you get your homework done, making you a more successful student.
Another important part of staying on top of school work is using your time wisely. Whether it’s in SLP or at home, the fewer distractions that you have while working the more efficient you’ll be. It might seem crazy, but recent research has shown that having our smart phones and technology around while studying makes us less productive, so if you’re really strapped for time you might want to consider putting your phone elsewhere.
The First Launch 