High School Microcosm

To many freshman the first day of high school is the opening chapter of a new novel, a fresh start to a sometimes embarrassing middle school experience we would all just love to erase from our memories. August 13th, 2012 was the beginning of my four year long narrative at Cypress Bay High School. Despite my desperate desire to grow up, become an adult, and move far away from my parents for college all that did not seem possible because I had never previously attended a public school. I was struck with fear that I would not be able to adjust to the fast pace dynamics of a large high school.

I think I speak for many people when I say high school is a critical point in one’s life. Coming into high school, things seemed to be tightly-knitted between my peers and I; those of us who had just

My high school years, unlike the past years of steady achievements, felt much more like a sine graph with ups and downs. To begin with, I conquered my freshman year in a breeze. My easily achievable classes not only earned myself confidence, but also admiration and respect from my classmates and teachers. As a result, I comfortably acclimated myself to the status of a star student.

Vividly, I can remember walking through the high school doors for the first time as a freshman with shaky legs and a nervous heartbeat. The school was a jungle of wide, shiny hallways filled with lumbering seniors who I thought were going to knock my books down on Freshman Friday. However, time has passed, and now I find myself to be the tall and “scary” senior. As I ponder about the last four years I have spent at Little Falls Community High School, I can not help but realize how much I have changed for the better. As I have matured, I have gleaned that beauty does not come through makeup and clothing brands, but rather through processing a good heart. Also, I have changed my career and college plans after high school, and I know that I will

Being a freshman, in a new school, a new city, even a new state, frightened me going into my first day of school as a high school attendee. Chaparral High School in Phoenix, Arizona was considered to be the top high school in the state of Arizona, however it sure was not for me. There was an ample amount of kids who believed they were better than the kid next to them because of the money their parents possessed. This characteristic began to grow on me; without my own awareness. Furthermore, I began to talk back to my parents, acted as a terrible brother to both my two younger brothers who looked up to me, as well as, my friends back in El Paso, Texas did not even want to talk to me. I had become a monster in all my friend’s eyes.

My variety of well rounded activities underscore my personality and character. Choir, musical acting, cross country, track and field, chess club, National Honor Society (NHS), and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). I participate in cross country and track and field not only because I like running, but also because it builds character. It creates a noticeable difference between those who are disciplined, and those who aren’t, between who works hard, and who decides to slack, and between the leaders and the followers. Every day I commit myself to being disciplined, working hard, and leading the team. Though cross country and track are the largest extracurricular activities I am involved in, choir, NHS, and FCA fall close behind. Choir allows me to create beautiful music, not just listen to the songs on the radio, and also allows me to fall in love with the chords, the notes, and the rhythms that are composed within it. NHS pushes me to keep using my intelligence to the best of my abilities, and when partnered with discipline, elevates my grades. FCA allows me to lead and show others that I am a believer in God, for He is the center of my life. Finally, chess club pushes my strategizing abilities, while always having a near infinite number of moves that can be conducted. Though each extracurricular

As any other freshman entering high school it can be a very nerve racking situation. On September 8, 2015 I Chelsea Gonzalez was entering high school in Thurgood Academy Of Learning And Social Change , my mind was going crazy and I didn't know what to expect. I have always asked myself whether high school would be similar to what appeared in movies; people dancing and singing on top of the lunch tables or, was it going to be a 4 horrible school years in which I would never make friends. I clearly remember seeing kids running toward their group of friends, as I walked down the lunchroom. My hands were sweating and it felt like a million butterflies in my stomach. The room was filled with cries of laughter, kids running back and forth asking each

The beginning of high school is the start to the next four years of hell. No one wants to be there. Everyone says, “these will be the best four years of your life!” Along with, “it goes by so fast,” and, “in the blink of an eye,” but the truth is, I don’t see it. Every waking moment I have to sit through a lecture in a cold, solid, chair is like sitting silently next to your parent in a car as they scold you for what you’ve done. You can’t go anywhere, or say anything. You just have to embrace it.

Let’s jump ahead again, this time to my first day of school. Morris Knolls High School is one of the top high schools in the US. Their curriculum is rigorous and their standards are sky high. Also, this was a completely new environment for me. I didn’t know how high school worked and this wasn’t the type of town I was used to. Living in suburbia and attending a school with different demographics than I was used to scared me. I now lived 30 minutes away from everything I grew up around. But the thought of having a fresh start excited me. No one knew me, I was a nobody and therefore free to completely change myself.

Personal growth is inevitable for a teenager going through high school. As much as my freshman year self didn’t want to admit it, I knew walking into the doors freshman year that my life, and myself, were going to be different when I left Lowell High School. Throughout my high school career I watched myself change, becoming more confident in myself and more curious about the world around me, but unable to pinpoint why that change was happening. I still had the same friends, did the same sports, and had the same hobbies as I had all throughout high school. After some deep reflection, I realized that I didn’t just wake up one day, suddenly more grown up and mature. It happened slowly throughout my junior year. And why it happened? Junior year

Like any other school there were the “cool” kids and the “not-so-cool” kids and like most people I longed for the feeling of fitting in. I tried so hard to buy the right clothes and to talk the right way. I became so caught up in my own life that I did not take a second to stop and think of someone other than myself. Last year, in eight grade, I had the chance to be apart of the “it” group, but during that time I lost myself. Peer pressure had pushed me into a corner where I was unable to think for myself and as a result I lost my ability to establish my character.

The obnoxious beeping of my alarm woke me from my deep sleep. There I was standing in front of the mirror getting ready for my first day of high school. The deep thoughts flooded into my head like a river. “Who am I going to be?” “Are people going to like me for me?” (SV) “What’s class going to be like?” As I thought quietly that morning I decided to make a promise to myself...

Was high school the best years of your life? Many people say that it was for them; however, it seems to be more stressful for this generation. In today’s society, it’s grueling to manage the full time challenges and stress of being a student in high school. More often than not students are dreading to get out of bed and come to the classroom. There are some deeper reasons for this lack of motivation rather than just being lazy. Some of the key problems for high school students are social anxiety, ostracism, and depression. These issues caused by attending high school are commonly not recognized and need to be addressed.

There were students from all around the world who had different cultures, religions, and hardships. I perceived that high school is a race, a race where I can run at my own pace and my goals are the prize. I entered an environment where the opportunities were endless and I was allowed to accomplish whatever I want. My confidence began to flourish. I started involving myself in school work and began to participate in class. During my sophomore year, I engaged in numerous group activities such as the school play, science competition team, and advanced arts. I earned respect and developed a reputable character in school. I reached a milestone in my journey during junior year when I was inducted into the National Honors Society, played varsity tennis and became class

High School arrived like an unexpected package at my doorstep. I had regressed into the familiar state of grievance due to the losses of my biological mother and brother, but high school showed up offering a new chapter to my life. As my year proceeded, I began to be bullied. This, along with the grieving process, threw me into a depression that followed alongside with anxiety. People told me I was strong, but since they had no clue that I actually didn’t feel as strong as they were saying, I decided I needed expectations. These expectations included ideas such as making good grades and speeding of the grieving process. I dove into my studies and conformed to the mechanic ways high school administrators inconspicuously advises us to become. I didn’t realize focusing solely on school meant further deteriorating my mental health.