Congratulations Freshmen! Welcome to New Prague High School! Senior year comes up fast and ends even faster. To help you get the most out of your high school years, here are ten essentials to help you have a great experience

1. Joining sports or clubs helps you meet new people. High school is full of people you probably have never met or even seen before. Joining groups is one way to meet new people and create new friendships. You never know who you could end up meeting in those sports and clubs. That is why you should join extracurricular activities.
2. Take your time during school and don’t rush things. Rushing things is never good in any situation. You may forget about something and not do it. Take your time on tests and school work to make sure that you actually understand what is going on in your classes.
3. If you don’t understand something, ask for help. There are so many people willing to help if you ask. So next time, you are stuck on an assignment, call or text a classmate. You can even send your teacher an email or ask for extra help before or after school. Another option is to ask a family member. Most likely, one of your family members studies that in school.
4. Find things that are interesting to you. This will help you learn what you enjoy doing and help you decide on what you might want to do for your future.
5. Help other people along the way. If you see other people struggling with anything, just ask them if they need help. Even if they don’t need help, they will be more happy than sad that you offered to help. It shows them that you are there for them and willing to help.
6. Take time to give yourself a mental break. Your brain is constantly working hard while doing activities and school work all day long. You need to let your brain rest. You can do so in many different ways such as sleeping, yoga, going outside, doing activities you enjoy, and even breathing exercises. All of these things are great ways to help your brain relax.
7. Always try your best. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing; it can be anything from playing a game to taking a test. You will always feel better about yourself knowing that you gave it your best effort. Plus, if you are giving 100 percent, your teammates and classmates are more likely to try harder because of your example. It’s a good way to push, not only yourself, but your teammates as well.
8. Don’t ever give up. If you are thinking about quitting something, like a sport, don’t just quit. At least give it another try to see if you can rekindle your passion for that sport. Give it your best effort and keep fighting through it. If you give up on something you are more likely to quit other things/hobbies later on.
9. Never be late. It is way better to be early than late to an event. If you are late it shows a lack of responsibility. It does not give a good impression to coaches, teachers, or bosses.
10. Just go out and have fun. Take advantage of the opportunities that the school offers for students. When we are not experiencing a worldwide pandemic, go to sporting events, even if you don’t enjoy sports. Go to the dances, even if you don’t have a date. More likely than not, some of your friends will be going. Go with them, and just have a fun time. Enjoy all of these activities while you can because, trust me, you will miss these activities later on in life.

I just gave you ten pieces of advice to help make the most out of your high school experience. All of these things will have an impact on your future. Trust me, it will come up fast and end even faster than you think. Take these tips and put them into action or at least think of them.