Another Year Gone by Meredith Piela

So this is it. My last Headlight article of the year, and as an underclassman. As sad as I am about Headlight being over for the year, I’m excited to finally become an upperclassman next year. Although junior year is extremely difficult (so I’ve heard), it’s more challenging academically, rather than socially. Even though things like SATs, ACTs, and college searches usually happen during 11th grade, it is all over in about a year. As difficult as the last two years of high school can be, there are still exciting events such as the Powderpuff football game and prom. Before that can happen, you have to make it through the tough first two years of high school.

As a freshmen, you are literally “fresh men”, since you are new to high school, and all that comes with it. As soon as you walk through the doors on the first day, all traces of middle school are gone. There is no talk about things like going downtown to Starbucks on a Friday afternoon. Also, all of your expectations about high school being this cool, independent place where cell phones and chewing gum are allowed in class are not met. Instead, you still have to deal with difficult classes, huge workloads, and annoying teachers. You also have to deal with being pushed around by upperclassmen, and not being at the top of the social pyramid until you’ve become at least a junior. On the plus side, once you’ve realized that you might not become that close with anyone in the grades above you, you have an opportunity to bond with your grade even more at the Freshman Picnic, which is unfortunately, your only big social event for your grade.

After you’ve made it through your freshman year of high school and you think you know what you’re doing, sophomore year comes along. As a sophomore, you are no longer the youngest bunch in the school, but you still aren’t an upperclassman yet. In tenth grade, you realize that it’s no use trying to annoy the freshmen, because you’re still an underclassman. Sophomore year has its perks, though. In sophomore year you have more high school experience than the freshmen, you take MCAS for the last time, and you have the Sophomore Semiformal. As difficult as the first two years of high school can be, they do have their benefits.

When I take my final exams on the 27th, they will mark my last exams of my sophomore year, second-to-last finals of high school, and my last final exams as an underclassman. When school gets out for the year, it will be such a feeling of relief to know that I have made it through my underclassmen years of high school. So when September 3rd arrives and it’s my first day of my junior year and my first year as an upperclassman, I really hope it’s a great day and a great year. It would be a shame if after all of my excitement about becoming an upperclassman at last, my last two years of high school were terrible. But I’ll hope for the best, and try my hardest to have my last two years of high school the best years yet.