Dear Freshmen,
Having been at Stone Ridge since Kindergarten, believe me when I say I’ve had my fair share of embarrassing moments. I’ve spilled soup all over myself at the salad bar and talked about some of my teachers a little too loudly in the hallways; we’re all human. Over your four years here, you will mess up, you will make mistakes, and you will embarrass yourself, but at the end of the day, those moments won’t be what you remember the most. If I were to look back at my time at Stone Ridge with a bird’s-eye view, I would see my home away from home, a tight-knit and supportive grade, and some of my favorite memories. Don’t let the idea of high school, being a freshman, or messing up intimidate you. Everyone at Stone Ridge is here because they are meant to be here, and they deserve to be here, and that includes you. You will in fact make it through high school, but just in case you’re still unsure, here are some tips to help you out.
First and foremost, being a senior, I do have to say, respect seniority. But don’t let it scare you. People want to talk to you and get to know you, including the older kids. When they say they’ll give you rides to sports games, they mean it, so just ask! If you want to earn some easy brownie points from seniors, don’t skip them in the lunch line and don’t stop in groups in the doorways, easy as that. Doing these two things will get you a long way.
Now that we got the whole senior spiel out of the way, let’s talk about being a freshman. Please, I beg you, learn to study for tests now while you have the time. Don’t be like me and wait to learn study strategies until you get thrown in the deep end junior year. If studying seems daunting, just ask your teacher or advisor what study strategies they recommend.
Speaking of advisors, whether you love yours or not, at least make the most out of the time you have with the people in your advisory before you try to switch out. Even though it can be easiest to talk to people about homework and assignments, that’s not the only thing there is to build friendships over. Ask the person sitting next to you in class how their weekend was. We all have lives outside of school, and you might find a connection there.
Work on finding friendships outside of your friend group. Remember, although it may not always feel like it, your freshman year friend group is not set in stone. As your grade grows together, so will new friendships. Even if you’re hanging out in the friend group you came into high school with, try to hang out near other groups in your grade. You’d be surprised at the community it can build. During my junior year, most of my grade spent our free time in the library. This led me to spend time talking to people I wouldn’t usually, probably much to Mr. Boman’s dismay. Speaking of the library, when Mr. Boman and Ms. Bosco shush you, just listen. Don’t let yourself look back as a senior and regret the way you treated the librarian; it’s not worth it.
Now let’s talk school spirit, and not just for sports games. I’m telling you now, even as a freshman, it is not embarrassing at all to get hype during school events and morning assembly. It’ll earn you some street cred with the upperclassmen. Don’t skimp on spirit days, and go all out for spirit week. You don’t want to learn your lesson the hard way by being the odd one out in a sea of inflatable dinosaur costumes and Elvis impersonators.
Last but certainly not least, enjoy your freshman year and the amazing four years you have ahead of you. They aren’t lying when they say time flies.
With love,
Teresa
If you have an issue you need advice on or a question you want answered, no matter what grade you’re in, please submit it anonymously using this form!
