As the 2024 school year progresses, understanding how to navigate academic performance, gauge extracurricular involvement, and remain confident in your abilities is extremely important for a successful year.
The most successful students are the ones who tend to show up and utilize their resources. South has many resources, such as Panther Plus and free tutoring, that are implemented to help students succeed.
When it comes to school, being here is very important. Showing up to your classes on time and prepared, as well as taking organized notes, guarantees you an advantage to really understanding the material. If you can’t be here one day, make sure to communicate with your teachers and check in on canvas to see what you need to make up. Sometimes when you fall behind it can be hard to catch up, so staying on top of things as much as you can is a priority. Panther Plus can help with that if you are behind in a class or are too busy to get work done after school. Your teachers are there to help you and make sure you are doing well, so don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Counselor Susan DeVries suggested getting help from your teachers. “The adults in this building are here because we want to help students and kids have success, and we don’t expect anybody to be perfect… this is a safe place to make mistakes.” Additionally, DeVries stresses the importance of “start[ing] to take some things a little more seriously.”
After school free tutoring is another great resource that is there to help you stay on top of things. There are typically teachers or other students there to help you with your work. Check it out Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday in the library from 2:45-3:30p.m. if you feel it may be useful.
Another essential to success is to take classes best suited to you and your abilities. Some classes are more rigorous and time consuming than others. Be sure to take classes that challenge you but also don’t overwhelm you. Giving yourself a stressful schedule isn’t healthy and especially won’t help you if you are unable to keep up with it. Furthermore, a study hall may be beneficial if you participate in demanding extracurricular activities.
It’s best to get ahead early in your high school career to set yourself up well for graduation and college applications. Making connections with your teachers is especially important because they can provide you with more academic support, and one day you may want to ask for a letter of recommendation which teachers can only write if they know you and have a good impression of you.
In addition to making connections with your teachers, you should make connections with the school. Getting involved with clubs and different activities, such as sports or volunteering, can give you some peer support and it’s a good way to build up your resume. Having at least one extracurricular has also become a graduation requirement, but don’t stress because there is a club for everyone, and if you don’t find one you want to join, make your own!
Senior Zoe Gray explained the importance of joining a club, and talked about how clubs have given her “a lot of leadership opportunities and leadership strengths where [she’s] confident in herself and [her] abilities.” Gray is one of the presidents of the Women’s Empowerment club at South and says she “love[s] coming [to a club] where you feel 100% supported and [she] feel[s] like clubs give you that support,” as well as connections to like-minded people.
Finally, the biggest key to achieving your goals is staying healthy and taking care of yourself. Eating food and getting sleep is crucial when it comes to a successful high school career. Don’t overwork yourself by staying up late, even if it is for studying, because your health is the most important thing.
