Category Archives: school life

Back-to-School Jitters? Let’s Crush Those Anxieties!

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 It’s that time of year again when summer days turn into school days. For many of us, returning to school can bring excitement and, let’s be honest, a bit of anxiety. But don’t worry; you’ve got this! Let’s dive into those back-to-school butterflies and uncover strategies to conquer them like you’re champs.

Let’s examine what really causes our anxieties:

First off, it’s totally okay to feel a little jittery about returning to school. It’s super common, and almost everyone goes through it. So, what’s causing those butterflies in your stomach? Here are some common back-to-school anxieties:

  1. Meeting New People: Meeting new classmates can be nerve-wracking whether you’re starting a new school or just moving up a grade. Many questions and worries go through your mind- Will they like you? Will you fit in? Everyone’s feeling a bit uncertain, so remember you are not alone.
  2. Academic Pressure: The thought of new subjects, more challenging assignments, and exams can be overwhelming. Be bold and ask questions. Good teachers love students who ask questions and are eager to learn. So ask away! Remember, it’s okay. Learning is a journey.
  3. Social Expectations: The pressure to have the “perfect” social life can be intense. Real friendships take time to develop, and it’s okay to be yourself. No judgement! Usually, we are harder on ourselves than others. Most of the time, friendship comes naturally. 
  4. Organizational Stress: Keeping up with schedules, assignments, and extracurriculars can feel like a juggling act. But guess what? You can become a master organizer with a bit of practice. A schedule app is the best for this. 

Now that we know what are some things that cause our anxieties. Let’s look at some strategies for overcoming them. Let’s kick those anxieties to the curb.

Strategies for Conquering Back-to-School Anxiety:

  1. Prepare Ahead: Knowing what’s coming can be a game-changer. Be organized- Get your school supplies, organize your backpack, and plan your outfits in advance. This will give you one less thing to worry about.
  2. Talk It Out: Don’t keep those feelings inside. Talk to friends, family, or trusted adults about what’s on your mind or what’s bothering you. You’ll be surprised how many people have felt the same way.
  3. Set Achievable Goals: Don’t expect perfection from the start. Set achievable goals, and celebrate your progress along the way. You are more likely to continue when you see progression in your dreams. 
  4. Breathe and Mindfulness: Take some deep breaths when you feel overwhelmed. Stop anxiety before it starts creeping in. Consider practicing mindfulness techniques to help you stay grounded and focused. Taking time to breathe makes you feel less stressed because it gives your mind time to relax and rethink.
  5. Eating well & staying healthy: Eating well, getting enough sleep, and staying active can improve your mood and overall well-being. Take time to eat snacks like fruits or cut-up veggies; eating healthy provides your body the energy to finish what you need that day. 
  6. Stay Positive: Stop overworrying. Instead of worrying about what might go wrong, consider all the exciting things that await you this school year, like making new friends, learning interesting subjects, and remarkable experiences just around the corner! 
  7. You’re Not Alone: Everyone has their version of back-to-school jitters. You’re part of a considerable community of teens going through this together. It’s hard enough to be a person in this decade because of all the changes and uncertainties. Lean on each other for support.
  8. Ask for Help When You Needed: If anxiety becomes too overwhelming, don’t hesitate to talk to your school counselor or a mental health professional. They’re there to help you navigate these feelings. These individuals have training and experiences to help you navigate your uncertainty and bring them into clear focus. So don’t hesitate to ask. 

So there you have it! Back-to-school anxiety is normal, but you have a toolkit with many strategies to handle it like a pro. Remember, you’re stronger and more capable than you think. Embrace the new school year with confidence to be true to yourself and shine! ✨✨

You got this!

Bella H.

AP Human Geography As A Freshman In High School, Is It Worth It?

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So, last year I was a freshman at my high school and I took the college level course: AP Human Geography. After taking the national exam at the end of the school year, I remember thinking to myself: “was that year’s hard work all worth it?”

First of all, lets talk about the benifits of taking this rigorous course:

  1. Pushes you to really focus and do work – Due to the pacing and toughness of this course, it really forces you to lock in during class time and also study times because if you don’t, you will be very behind
  2. Develops time management skills – The amount of vocabulary, notes, and concepts that you will have to review constantly is absurd, and it will seem impossible at first, but this allows you to use your time management skills to figure out your priorities.
  3. College credit – If you get a good score on the national exam, It will count as some college credit, letting you skip some classes when you get to college.

Now, for the negatives:

  1. Limits your free time – due to the amount of studying required, you will have decreased free time at home
  2. The class can be very frustrating at times – A lot of times you will not understand or remember the concepts, and it will leave you very angry and frustrated.

After all, is the class worth it? In my opinion, yes, because the all the negative aspects that personally experienced could have been easily solved by better time management skills

-Torres H.

UC Admissions College Planning Seminar- Tonight!

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We are hosting another great seminar with Collegewise tonight at the library.

Find out all about UC admissions from a former UC admissions counselor! Ask questions, get answers, and feel more confident about your application.

Meet us in the Storytime Room at 6 pm.

See you there!

Back to School: Tips for Productivity

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The school year has just started, and like most high school students, I’m slowly getting used to having homework every night again. Often, I allow myself to get distracted or put off my homework until the last minute. This year, I’m determined to have a successful academic year and a mostly stress-free school life by staying focused and productive. So, for everyone like me out there, here are some of my tips to be productive in school and at home for this coming school year.

1. Work in a distraction-free environment. I prefer to work in a quiet area and put my phone in a different room or on “Do Not Disturb” so that I’m not tempted to check it every time a notification pops up. It’s easy to get distracted and lose track of time when you’re on your phone, so make sure it’s not a distraction when you’re trying to get work done.

2. Keep track of assignments, tests, and deadlines. I recommend having a planner/calendar and writing down your assignments and due dates so you can plan accordingly. This helps me to make progress on my assignments every day instead of letting them pile up. Daily to-do lists also work well for me, and the satisfaction of crossing out tasks after completing them is always great.

3. Get work done at school. To minimize homework, use your study hall/tutorial period as well as class work time wisely, and get as much work done as you can. That way, it won’t become homework and you will have more free time or time to complete other assignments.

4. Take periodic breaks. Working can get tiring after a while, so it’s healthy to take a step back from your assignment and stretch, get a drink of water, and/or have a snack to fuel your study session. Be sure to get back to work afterward!

5. Tackle the most difficult tasks first. Completing your harder assignments first helps you get into the zone and complete your other assignments more efficiently. Personally, completing these assignments gives me a sense of accomplishment that motivates me to continue working.

6. Create a plan for your study sessions. Decide beforehand a window of time to work during (based on what time you feel most productive or when you are free) and which assignments you plan to spend time on. Creating a plan helps you stay organized when working and not wait until the evening to do all your work.

All in all, don’t get sidetracked, and stay organized and focused when you are working. Hopefully, you found these tips helpful and can apply them to your study sessions. Good luck in the upcoming school year!

-Lam T.

Football Practice at High School

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Today I went to football practice after school and did some drills. The coach had all these drills to do and planned them out. Today is a short day at school so the football practice had to be short too.

The first drill to do are the sprints. This is where you are supposed to run as hard as I can through the 60 yards cones and walk back slowly to pace your heartbeat and on the second sprint I have to run as hard as I can to the cones and slowly walk back the twice as far than last time. So we meet up with the coach and say, “You guys will be doing sprints so be in your lines as fast you can.” Then we all dashed to our lines that we were supposed to be in and started the sprints.

As we finished the sprint I wasn’t actually tired, I thought we could have done more of the sprints and had less walking distance. And I thought of a drill where we have to sprint to the 60 yards cones and only walk half of the distance then we run again. And most of us were not tired so I ran for another one on my own. 

Incoming Freshmen: Join a sport!

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With summer coming to a close, it is time to consider classes and extracurriculars for the upcoming school year.

If you are an incoming freshman or an upperclassman looking to be more active, you should join a sport. It will help you make friends, promote team building, and help you stay active. Sports are a worthwhile investment for any student, even if you are nervous about high school or unconfident in your abilities.

High school can be an exciting experience, especially if you do not know anyone. Besides joining clubs and classes, another option for making friends is sports. Sports often help you meet new people with common interests. Working hard and training together can help build strong relationships. Teammates can also ensure that you do not slack off and may help keep you accountable.

Personally, before I joined my high school swim team, club swimming was much more about setting personal records and getting certain time cuts. But in high school, the focus is winning as a team. Depending on how you place in your race, you gain a certain number of points. The winner is decided by which team has the most combined points overall. Even if you are not getting as many points as your other teammates, every single point counts.

The outcome of a meet or game is decided by the team as a whole. This may motivate you to work harder and dedicate more time to your craft. In team sports, everyone has to work hard in order to win.

Finally, sports give you a much-needed break from more educational classes. No matter how good of a student you are, you will eventually be subject to burnout. Getting outside and enjoying the fresh air gives you a break from the classroom. This exercise could be beneficial for you both mentally and physically. Sometimes in media, athletes are portrayed as having lower grades. But, as long as you are managing your time wisely, you can succeed in both sports and education.

Whether you are looking to make new friends, get a break from the classroom, or better yourself, joining high school sports is a great option. Remember, no one is great when they first start, but all it takes is hard work and practice.

Dual Enrollment at Saddleback College

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If you find yourself with some free time over the summer or during the school year, dual enrollment is an excellent way of getting ahead in your high school classes and taking college-level courses. 

Before senior year, you may want to get classes like health and ethics out of the way. By taking these courses at Saddleback College, you can get them done early. 

In addition, classes are free, besides possible textbook costs. All the credits from dual enrollment will transfer over so, you can save money on college tuition by taking classes beforehand. 

Personally, I have taken History of Architecture, Health, and am currently taking Introduction to Psychology. So, I am getting some of my college elective credits while still in high school.

If you would like to work ahead and move along quicker in your core classes, those can be taken as well.

Community colleges like Saddleback Community College often offer many options in order to accommodate your needs. While you can take the classes in person, you may also choose to take them online. Online courses can be taken either over Zoom or asynchronous, which allows you to take the class mostly at your own pace.

There are many benefits of dual enrollment with little cost. It has a large amount of flexibility and could help you in many ways.  

de Portola 50th Anniversary Poem

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de Portola Elementary, my school, had its 50th Anniversary celebration on March 31st.

I got to read this poem I wrote during the assembly!

–

“Thank you, de Portola”

Celebrating these 50 years

Is a beautiful achievement

To think of all of the blood, sweat and tears

Put into this school and made whole 

–

Celebrating 50 years

At first sight so much more than it appears 

for so many students are taught here each day

Taught to learn how to foray into our world

And this school has helped fifty years of students,

Urged their creativity, made hard problems unfurl.

–

They’ve played on this playground,

Ran in these fields

Learned in this building

And here ate their meals.

–

Those 50 years of students

Learned to do math and read and write

Those skills will forever help them

To guide their dreams in sight;

it helps them fight for their future

–

This school has given so much education

Like a train station, its

Helped so many reach their wanted destination

Because this school has made the difference

In so, so many lives

–

And do you know how?

It’s the staff make this school whole

They teach us and guide us and help us when we fall

They’ve cared for us and rewarded us as far as we can recall,

their patience should be recorded for all.

–

They are kind when we are not,

Patient when we are not,

And help us when we’ve forgot – 

because we all do.

–

So thank you, staff of this school.

But it’s not just them that have built this community; 

it’s you too.

–

So thank you, de Portola.

Thank you for making the difference for 50 years.

Thank you for helping us past our fears

Thank you de Portola.

And thank you…

For listening 

Friendships in School

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From my personal experiences, friendships often come and go quicker than we realize. Sometimes our friendships end in a bad way, whether it be via arguments or other problems in life. Sometimes friendships end for the better, when two friends admit that the friendship they share is unhealthy and mutually decide to end it, solidifying the respect that they have for each other, and wish each other well. Sometimes it doesn’t end, and lasts forever since the day that both friends meet. Even though it doesn’t always work out, there are always new moments and memories that can be created from the people you meet and talk with everyday.

In my experience, I have had my own fair share of friendships. Like I said before, some have ended in a bad way, some have ended in a good way, and some still last to this day. As I have gotten older, I have learned to appreciate all the friends who are still in my life to this day and move forward from the friends with whom our friendships didn’t work out in the end. Throughout the years, I’ve learned plenty from my experiences with the people around me at school, and had interesting experiences overall.

This past junior year was definitely an interesting year for me overall. Despite some struggles, I ended up meeting new people, whether it was from my sports team or people in my class, and created some great memories and friendships along the way. Every time spent was either catching up on what happened over the weekend, our own sports or school experiences, or interests that any one of us have. Surprisingly, I have actually learned about new songs and developed new interests from some of my friends this year, some of which I was never sure I would ever be interested in.

Even though I have created plenty of memories with many friends over the years, what stood out most to me was one of my friends being there for me during AP Tests/Prom week this past junior year. During that week, I was dealing with numerous amounts of stress and I was in a bad shape mentally, as I dealt with 4 AP Tests – 3 of which were on that week – as well as some personal hardships in my life. All of this nearly made me skip my junior prom, however one of my friends with whom I have gotten close with this year helped me get through the week and convinced me to at least get my ticket and experience it for the first time ever. Even though I was skeptical at first, I decided to get it last minute and the dance turned out to be one of the best nights of my life. Knowing I would have missed out on it if I skipped on prom like I planned, I thanked my friend that night and enjoyed every moment we spent, knowing that he was a really good friend overall.

Even though friendships coming and going is hard at many points in life, I advise everyone to give people they meet an open mind. You never know who you will meet in life, but what truly matters is the type of person you are and the change you could make in someone’s life.

High School Sports

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As a senior going into high school, I have taken many opportunities to reflect upon prior high school years, from freshman year, to sophomore year, to the most recent junior year. Even though I have admittedly faced plenty with school, such as homework, tests, and balance with my personal life, I will admit that sports has had a massive impact on my high school experience. Going into freshman year, I had my own club sport and highly debated on whether or not I should do a sport or deal with another round of PE during high school. As a last minute decision due to a recommendation from a friend, I decided to try out for the cross country team and made it on thanks to a decision from one of my coaches.

Although the first semester of my freshman year did not end well due to an early injury that year affecting my first cross country season and feelings of disconnection from a friend group, I grew dedicated to the sport after my recovery and the following Track season that year, despite being cut short due to the coronavirus, had some kind of payoff for me after my injury. However, the lockdown ended up with a disconnection between me and the rest of my team. Although sophomore year did face some setbacks due to the ongoing pandemic, I did end up racing during Track season that year, notably going sub 5 minutes in the 1600m and sub 11 minutes in the 3200m, as well as making more friends on the team. After that year, I had goals to Varsity letter next year in both XC and Track.

During my junior year, I was under plenty of pressure on myself, as well as mental stress balancing heavy schoolwork, personal life, and sports. My XC season was definitely my most successful season yet, as I went 16:16 in the 3 mile race during Sea View League Finals and had the best race of my life that race alongside two of my best friends and teammates, creating a great memory. Following League Finals, my team qualified for CIF, and I had my second favorite race at CIF Finals at the hilly Mt. Sac course with a time of 17:12. Although my Track season did not top my XC season, I did have some good races, such as going under 4:50 in the 1600m and improving by 30 seconds in the 3200m with a time of 10:20.

Even though I had plenty of success throughout my sports career, the truth is that I could not have done a single part of it without my teammates. I ran with them everyday, talked with them, and shared plenty of moments and memories with them to the point where I can honestly say that they are a significant part of my life. Even though we have had struggles and arguments like a team normally does, we have come together and found success last year and look to continue our success to even greater lengths this upcoming year. High school sports has made a huge impact on my life and I’d highly recommend anyone to take high school sports and gain that experience.