Well Raiders, here we are at the outset of yet another school year, another year of essays and math problems and projects and presentations and long nights and homework and friends and Homecoming and Prom and I’m exhausted thinking about it. For many, like myself, this is the last time to experience the marvels of high school. As a senior, I often wonder whether I will miss it, even long nights typing away at my laptop when I should be amassing much-needed sleep. But, looking back at all the clubs I joined and all the friends and teachers I met, I know high school has its redeeming qualities. I know that (this is for you Freshman) it is worthwhile to take an active role in high school if you hope to maintain your sanity.

Get involved. When I started high school, I was a geographically-challenged freshman. I struggled to navigate the school’s floor plan and social cliques. But, I joined Leonardtown’s creative writing club back when Mrs. Gill was running it for those of you who remember her. I found students like me, friends I still see in creative writing club to this day. Particularly during the one hour lunch, students have the time to explore Leonardtown’s array of clubs. They have the opportunity to shrink their world beyond the daunting thousands of students here whether it be creative writing, knitting, gardening, theatre, Spanish, French, or many others. High school is a place to discover your interests and people that share them. Those people make high school manageable.

Organize yourself. If, reader, you are anything like the majority of students, you think you can manage school by the seat of your pants. You think you will remember all the assignments your teachers parcel out and where you stuffed your math homework or essay. That was my thinking too and it does not work. A running list or calendar of your assignments, both in school and in your personal life, will remind you of all you have to do and lower your stress. I know my blood pressure rose when I picked through my brain for all the assignments I had to do. But organization is more than lists. Have a store of supplies (post-it notes, index cards, pencils, paper); you do not want to be the student begging everyone for supplies. Keep your textbooks at home if you can or in your locker. Assign every paper to a binder or folder to prevent the graveyard of lost papers at the bottom of your bag. On that note, color-coordinate your folders, notebooks, and binders. It is far easier to fish your Spanish folder and notebook out of your bag if you know they are both red, for example. Students often put organization down as an unnecessary hassle. But, it is not an assignment; it is your service to making your life in high school easier. Do yourself a favor and organize yourself. Your future self will thank you.

Raiders, unfortunately summer is over. Gone are the hours you have to yourself. Now, they are dedicated to homework and extracurriculars and friends. As daunting as the task seems, particularly for those of you who still have four years to go, this time does not need to be arduous. If you have the courage to involve yourself, to shrink your world, and structure your life with to-do lists and clean backpacks and lockers, these years will pass you by like a good book, wild yet enthralling. Before you know it, you will be a senior like me, reliving how you survived high school. But for now, enjoy yet another year.