I just wanted to start off by saying…Congratulations! You’ve made it through the your first month of highschool, and you have many more ahead of you. Highschool is one of the most interesting experiences you will have in your life. You’ll inevitably have your ups and downs, but either way you’ll get through it and you should make the best of your time here. Here are some tips and tricks to survive and thrive through these next four years:
1) Give everybody a chance
Everyone has committed the crime of judging too quickly. I know I have, and I’ve learned that it is the worst possible thing you can do. There are so many different types of people, and you’d be surprised to find the that best ones are those that you might have initially disregarded.
2) Bad Grade?
Learn from your mistakes and don’t let one bad grade define who you are. You are not your GPA. Even though it’s not fun to get bad grades, it happens to the best of us and its part of the learning process. Don’t feel discouraged, just study harder for the next one.
3) SLEEP
Staying up all hours of the night is not worth it. I know that as a freshman you probably have more homework now than you’ve ever had before, but I know from experience when I say that all-nighters do more harm than good. The best thing you can do for yourself is learn how to manage your time efficiently.
4) Clubs and Extracurriculars
There are a lot of amazing clubs at Clements so make sure you take advantage of them. My first year of high school, I joined every single club at club night. I went to the first meeting of 14 different clubs! Granted, I only went back for the second meeting to four of them, but still try a bunch of new things because you never know what you’ll like so do everything at least one time.
5) Make Memories
Go to the games. Go to the dances. Go to everything you can. I know that school keeps you busy, but no matter how hectic it gets make time to have fun. Grades are important, but when you look back at your time here you won’t remember your grade in that one class you’ll remember all the great times you had with all your friends.
6) Live a Little!
I know that this tip is a lot like tip #5, but I believe that this is so important it needs to be mentioned twice. There are a lot of things that will happen many times in your life, but high school only happens once (hopefully), so really make use of your time here. Get out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to try something new.

I hope all (or at least some) of these tips help you during your time here. I know that high school can be a stressful time, but I promise that one day you’ll be stronger because of it.