Everyone always says that high school is the best years of their lives. Who knows if that’s true or not, and honestly who cares? What I do believe is that these four years are going to be full of drama, stress, nights you don’t want to end, memories you’ll never forget, and days you just want to end. For all your questions whether it’s school related or everything else, this column is just for you and your questions. So when you don’t know what to do in the face of all the difficult situations and tough moments you have to deal with, there’s always “The Grappler,” Niles West News’ own advice column.
Hey freshies =) Welcome to West! Just a few words of advice: walk on the right side of the hallways. Like the right, not the left. It makes it way less confusing for you, and as a bonus, you won’t get trampled by the upperclassmen as much. Besides, the hallways aren’t the place for games of chicken. It’s not a contest to see who can stay on the same path until the last second. Chances are, that whoever you’re about to collide with isn’t just trying to get in your face for the heck of it, they actually didn’t realize they were about to bump into you. Since we are on the topic, don’t stand in the middle of the hallways hugging your friends or catching up on the latest drama you heard last period. Chances are, you’ll probably end up getting bumped left and right.
The school is pretty easy to navigate, so try to learn the general system of the classroom numbers. If it starts with a one, such as 1100, it’s on the first floor; two for the second, and three for the third. The last number for most class rooms are either one or five, so it determines which side of the hallway the class is on. There’s a pattern, you’ll figure it out soon enough. There are plenty of signs if you get confused.
Another thing, the upperclassmen really aren’t as mean as you might think. People chanting “GO HOME, FRESHMAN!” at the the assemblies or during lunch doesn’t mean everyone hates you; it’s a tradition. Everyone else had to sit through it at one point or another their freshman year too. Chanting back “go home, seniors” isn’t that clever either, so just sit back and laugh it off. The seniors are just too excited to graduate and haven’t thought of something better to chant than “Go Home, Freshman!” or “Twenty eleven!” So don’t take it personally, we don’t all hate you.
Cafeteria food, yeah, it looks more appealing than junior high food, and there’s definitely more variety, but it isn’t guaranteed to be good food. The school decided to make its menu items more healthy, which means that it’s all wheat. You can decide for yourself if you like it. It’s good if your a health nuts, bad for those of you that were craving normal pizza all morning On occasion there are bake sales or D.E.C.A. ice cream for sale, so try to carry around a few extra dollars to buy anything on those rare occasions. Moral of the story is: experiment and have fun trying the new food.
Considering that just about every single teenager procrastinates, study halls are very crucial. A lot of homework can get done in the forty-two minutes, so actually use them when you have them. You can choose to socialize during the forty-two minutes you have, but be careful because some of the study hall teachers like silent study halls. If they’re having a bad day and you piss them off, you get the detention, so it’s your choice.
The best piece of advice I can give you is don’t procrastinate! In high school, not everything is due the next day,there’s a reason behind that. The assignment is normally longer and harder; starting it at ten thirty the night before probably won’t work out so well for you.
The most important thing to remember over the next four years though is to live life and enjoy it. It’s high school, and as everyone probably told you after your junior high graduation, it’s the best four years of your life. Always remember to have fun after all that tedious homework and enjoy the next four years.
