Freshmen Advice
http://www.highschoolesportsleague.com/why-esports-in-high-school/
After asking four freshmen to provide advice and help ease their worries about the upcoming year. We asked three questions to find out what their biggest concerns are.The first question was, “What were you most nervous about upon entering high school?” The most common response was about navigating the school. They were worried about getting lost and not being able to find their classes. Our advice is that if you still can’t find your classes, make a map or a screenshot of your schedule as your phone wallpaper. Then, you can check your lock screen easily, find your classes efficiently, and you won’t look dumb carrying a huge map or a printout of your schedule. Also don’t be afraid to ask upperclassmen for help, because they’re all helpful and want to support other students. Another student’s concern was,“not being able to balance both academics, sports, and social life.” Our advice for those worries is to plan ahead and learn to balance your time. Get a planner, and write everything down in it. Make sure to manage your time wisely and not procrastinate. If you know your schedule, you should be okay!
The second question asked was, “Do you still have any questions about high school?” The most common answer was Seahawk Seminar. Most freshmen do not understand the rotation, but do not worry, because there is a provided a Seahawk Seminar schedule down below! Another question a student had was, “Why do counselors not let you change your schedule the first week?” We think counselors do not let you change your schedule the first week because they want you to try out the class first. Who knows? Maybe you will eventually enjoy the class; just give it a chance!
The third and final question we asked was, “What advice do you wish you knew before entering high school?” Students replied they wished they knew how to navigate the school better. One student said she did not know “200s were downstairs and 400s were upstairs,” and that “that would have been helpful to know.” They wished they had been less stressed, because high school was not that bad. They said that they wish they had just relaxed more because it was not that bad of a transition. All in all, the best advice we can give you is to ask for help, manage your time, and don’t be stressed, because High School is fun!
Sophia Landeryou is a student life editor and returning journalism member. In her spare time she likes to swim. She loves anything sweet, especially chocolate....
Arielle K Masters • Oct 19, 2017 at 10:51 am
My brother went to South Lakes back in the ’90s (I was at Herndon), way before the renovation that turned the four colored subschools & cafeterias into the current setup, and it was pretty easy to navigate most of the school then – compared to now, anyway.
My husband and I are currently in our fifth year as SLHS parents and it’s really difficult not just to find our way around (like to get out of the building on back-to-school night) but to anticipate where, compared to the main hall, any given room might be given its number. Last year our frosh was in a room (255, I think, or maybe 265) that wasn’t even on the map!
We’re hoping that as soon as the new addition has been completed, if not sooner, that the school will number everything from scratch in some logical way that indicates their location. Maybe use colors in conjunction, since the locker areas for each grade have colors – Blue 100, Green 230. The band, art, and theatre rooms are unlikely to move around at all (unlike much of the rest of the school other than the science labs), so they could be numbered Arts 1, Arts 2, etc. Maybe use letters to denote performance rooms and storage closets: 1a, 2b and c, and so forth. Rooms directly off of the main hallway, like the offices, art gallery, theatre, and cafeteria, could be Main 1, Main 2, and the like.