I’ve been thinking about this whole “high school” thing, and how I now have five semesters under my belt. I walked through the doors on my first day a completely naive, sweet, ignorant, benign blonde girl.

And two and a half years later, at least I am still blonde.

I have learned so much, more than I could ever put into words. But, I will attempt to summarize the seven most important things I’ve learned so far (Besides how to find the slope of a line and perform trigonometry functions, which are so crucial to my future career in writing, clearly).

 

1. Say hello to people in the hallway, parking lot, and between classes.

A simple, “Hey!” and a smile is enough to form a bond with your fellow high school pals. And for those individuals that you want to take it one step further with, create a secret handshake that is just as complicated as it is badass.

2. Eat whatever you want for lunch.

Don’t be boring and bring a PB&J every day. Mix it up a bit, eat what makes you happy. Bring rice and noodles. Make yourself a cupcake. Warm up a whole tin of soup. Eat a steak. Lunch is some of the only free, relaxing time you’ll get for eight hours straight- make the most of it.

3. Don’t look like you hate everyone.

I’ll admit, there are days if someone even looks at me wrong, I’ll snap. But walking down the hallway with smoke coming out of your ears and lasers shooting from your eyes isn’t going to help the situation. Put on a smile, and fake it till you make it. Or at least until you can go home and change into sweatpants.

4. Write in fun colors.

High school is a time for note taking, essay writing, and scribbling over science worksheets. I’ve found that using abnormal colors such as pink, green, orange, and purple help me to focus. And by “focus” I mean it’s easier to doodle when you have all the colors of the rainbow in front of you.

5. Go to the football game.

Friday night football games produce some of the most fun, wild memories you’ll have throughout high school. These are the stories your kids will ask for, and you’ll get the honor of telling them about the time you and your best friend got kicked out of the game for starting a yelling match with the other fans.

6. Take a personal day.

It is 100% okay to take a sick day when you need it. Sleep in, make yourself waffles for breakfast, and spend the day enjoying the open air and freedom from confinement. That being said, taking one every month may not be the best idea..

7. You’re all in this together

While high school might not be a musical, you are all striving for the same goal: graduation. Help your friend out with homework, stall for them if they need extra time in class, create a distraction when their presentation starts to go down hill. It’s easier to get the trophy when you work as a team.

 

High school is a time for friendships, for memories, for experimenting new hairstyles, and for learning how to do math you will literally never use again in your entire lifetime. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Sincerely,

Maddie Rheinheimer