Transition into High School

There are so many things your middle school does not prepare you for as you graduate eight grade. You're so young and have so much ahead of you, yet you feel like you already have it all figured out. You don't realize the friends you will loose, the mental and physical changes you will encounter or the new responsibilities you will have. Though you can never fully prepare for things like this, I hope to make your transition a little less awkward for you. Hold on tight, freshman year is just the beginning.

Let's start with the topic of friends, from personal experience I can truly tell you that your friends may turn into people you don't want to be around, and that's okay. You do not have to be friends with anyone that you don't want to be friends with. Your friends will change and some people may become more of a trial and error. You need to be able to say No to friends if they are doing things that make you feel uncomfortable or your views don't go along with what they are doing. Try to find a small group of people you can relate to, where you respect one another, and they do things that are fun and safe for everyone. Your friends will come and go all of high school, and you do not have to stick to just one group if you're not happy.

Physical changes are no joke as you go through puberty, so please be aware of how to take care of your changing, and smelly bodies. Shower everyday, and find a skin care routine that works for you. Your mental health is also going to start to change, some thoughts may be brighter and some thoughts may be darker, that's just part of learning who you are. You will find yourself hating some things you used to love, like a certain song or activity. Some mental health tips are to give yourself time to relax and regroup during the week and the weekends, don't make yourself too busy that you don't have time for you. Get good sleep, and remember nothing is going to be perfect.

Every year that you get older, you have new responsibilities. Your high school responsibilities are some that will catch you off guard. There is so much expected from you, and you must do as your teachers, and parents say in order to make this transition easy. You must remember to show respect to all adults no matter what. Remember to always turn in your homework on time and study hard for all of your exams. Your school work is important and starting off your freshman year with bad grades is going to cause you to suffer later on. Think before you act with all of your decisions, you're becoming an adult so act like one.

Getting involved is the best thing you can do. Join sports and join clubs, it will be worth your time. This will give you a chance to find out what you're good at and what you're not. This is also a great opportunity to find friends with similar interests as you. Maybe you both like soccer, or maybe you both think recycling is cool! High school is great for trying new things, and the hope is that by the end of it, you can find out who you are in life. By starting your self discovering process at a young age is much more beneficial than trying to cram

that in another time.

Writing to you from a senior perspective, I can truly say that high school was some of the best years of my life. I lived and I learned. I became a stronger and better person over the years and I found out what makes me happy, what drives me, and what makes me who I am. During my earlier years thought, I felt that I had no one to talk to when it came to advice on transitioning into high school. My hope is that you can take something from this and carry it with you throughout high school. Remember to find out what it is that you love, and hold onto that.