My Sophomore Year High School

I graduated from Fairview High School, where I experienced many things, and one of the things that stood out to me the most was the failure I experienced my sophomore year as a student there. I had never done so poorly in school until that year, and doing so changed my entire character. My first semester as a sophomore at Fairview I received a 1.667 GPA, and a 1.286 GPA the second semester. When my final grades were given to me I didn’t even know what those numbers meant, and definitely didn’t have a clue on what they meant to my future. You may find it hard, or funny to believe that someone in his second year of high school doesn’t know what a GPA is, but I am a first generation student, and back then I had no idea how much that GPA was going

During the past three years of my high school years, I have been taking various rigorous classes, which all share a similar purpose which is to strengthen my skills and be ready for entering college, taking college courses and excelling in them. Moreover, during the past three years, I have been challenging myself by taking rigorous classes, having an A in all classes, and maintaining being ranked one of the top students in my school. In addition, to excelling in all my classes, at the same time I am able to work occasionally on my own throughout the school year, as well continue my hobbies, such as photography and riding my ATV, which serve as a time away from academic work and a stress reliever, enjoying life, and finding my passion. Through my high school years, I have learned various skills, which have helped me grow as an individual and prosper both outside and in academic work. Thus, I feel well prepared for what I plan to do next year, which is continuing to take AP classes and excel in them, as well being involved in various clubs, and helping the community. Moreover, I have been constantly pushing myself to my fullest potential and exceeding all expectation and standards, thus I feel prepared for what I am going to face next year. In addition, I arranged my schedule for next year strategically in the way that I will still manage to excel in my rigorous classes and have a large amount of time to be involved in various extracurricular activities, and help the

Towards the end of my senior year of high school, I was preparing for the next chapter of my life. I would be attending UC Davis in the summer for a four weeklong orientation program, specifically for first generation college students. This was the first time I would be leaving home by myself to a different country and it was the first time in over eight years that I would be exposed to the American culture. I did not have any roots in any American city nor did I have a so-called “home state.” However, if there was one thing for sure, it was that Germany was my home and it has been for the majority of my life. In this paper, I will be discussing how the following topics in sociology: culture, socialization, and identity are related to my move from Germany to California as well as how I felt during the entire situation.

My eighth grade year of Middle school. I had many challenges, with making friends and subjects. But one challenge was mathematics.I knew my eighth grade year was most important when it came transferring into my high school years, yet I didn’t do anything to raise my grade in mathematics at that time. It wasn’t until two I had a very low grade in mathematics on my report card at that I realized I needed to do something about my low grade. So after that report in math, I really was determined to really bring that F up to at least a B or A. So I remember I started to go to after school tutoring to get help with my math subject. They placed me with a teacher named Ms.Alice. And she really helped me with my subject.

Freshman year, I imagined that year to be amazing. I wanted it to just have an awesome flow but did it? It did in the beginning then a bomb went off during the middle of the year and turned freshman year into a complete disaster. Freshman year was supposed to be about having a great start to the rest of your high school life before you enter the big bad world but other students just couldn't help themselves but to create that bomb during the middle of my freshman year.

My memories are blurry. They are fragments of disjointed moments, without a linear narrative. I remember reading. It was in Mrs. Davidson first grade class. My reading proficiency skills were very poor, the English language still thick and unnatural on my tongue. While some of the other students took a Gifted class, I had to take a remedial course—English Learners (EL)— just so that I could hold onto the edge. I remember reading. I had a hard copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar in my little hands, reciting only the first page of the book from memory. The classroom was dark; the stream of sunlight filtering through the windows served as our only illumination. The rest of the words on the book looked like a mess of jumbled letters. I couldn’t make out anything other than the words “the” and “and.” I remember enthusiastically pointing out my “fluency” to my teacher, seemingly applauding my menial abilities: “The catpater at droo!” (The caterpillar ate through). In the first-grade, my free time was spread sporadically between watching The Little Mermaid, catching ugly black crickets and pretending that I was Sailor Moon, guardian of the galaxy. In the first grade, I was not at all concerned with words, literacy and books. In the first grade, I did not know the power that words hold. I did not know that books would change my life.

When junior year ended last summer, I felt like I knew exactly what was coming my way-- after all, I watched three different groups of my friends go through senior years of their own. It was finally my turn to experience senior year, something it seemed I had known about for years, and I felt like senior year would be easygoing and uneventful. Now, it has taken just a few short months to realize how incorrect I was. If senior year has taught me anything, it is that one never really knows what comes next for them, even if they have a good idea. The monumental highs, as well as the deepest of lows, have kept me on my toes throughout my senior year.

Every school year fifth graders face a big change from the lives they are used to. Middle School. It is our job as upperclassmen to assist these new sixth graders. These students need our advice, and help, to make sure they live out their middle school years correctly. The finest piece of advice I can give any student starting middle school is to plan out all your middle school years.

Your freshman year will be exciting, but it can also be intimidating. It is the start of four long years of high school, some of the most important years of your life. There are a lot of important things to do your freshman year, many of which I didn't start until much later. So here is some advice that will help you survive your freshman year, and prepare you for the rest of high school.

Freshman year is quite a change from the way you live in high school. One of the largest changes of which was fiscal responsibility and expenses of being a student. There were 3 main expenses that I incurred throughout my freshman year that I likely should have put more thought into budgeting. The first expense was food, I'm 6'4" so I eat a lot of food and never realized how expensive it is to buy groceries myself. Some freshman do a campus meal plan for their food expenses, which can be quite costly (upwards of $1000 a semester), and some people decide to cook in their dorms. Another major expense is textbooks or course materials, some of these books can have a price tag of more than $200 a piece. Many students, including myself, chose to

The people, our surroundings, and our memories are what make the years of high school go by at the blink of an eye. Freshmen year, scared of all teachers, classes, and new people. Sophomore year is a breeze because you finally understand the bell schedules, and you’re aware of the teacher’s expectations. Junior year, the stress hits you all at once. You’ve got the ACT, EOCs, and many other tests that are a major part of your future education.

Sophomore year, I was thinking about surviving the next two years of high school. I realized I wouldn't graduate, not with the grades I was getting. My grades were at a 65 and I was going downhill. Panicking, I realized it was imperative that I go to a technical program.

Sophomore year in high school had greater demand on my time and made me realize about my future more than my freshman year. Time management has been a theme I was constantly reminded with academic and extracurricular activities. Furthermore, the realization of entering college and pursuing a career is closer than before. These two factors have transformed my outlook of my junior year.

In my Freshman and Sophomore year of high school, I was not really involved in extracurricular activities. I did some community service hours and I joined a club. In my Junior year of high school, I started to get more involved in school activities. Such as football and soccer games. And in all honesty, I can say that Junior year has been my favorite year so far.

You are in 7th grade. You don’t know why this year in middle school exists. You think this because 6th is the beginning and 8th is the end. Why don’t you just take this one out and get middle school over with? This year isn’t totally worthless, for girls at least. This is the year of your first kiss, mean math teachers, confusing friend problems, and your regular, tortuous girl lives.