Jenny Weissauer

Columns Editor

Hi my fellow students, peers, friends! My name is Jenny Weissauer and I’m coming to you monthly with all the advice about high school you need. In other words, I’m basically like “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” for Foran High School. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m a senior, captain of the swim team, member of FIT and Natural Helpers, and a dog lover.

Now let’s get down to business. This month I’ve decided to focus on something we all could use a little help with. How many of you have been personally victimized by the stress of back to school? (Mean Girls reference) Seriously, getting back into the swing of things with a new school year can be pretty difficult. Many of us have some trouble trying to get organized. Let’s be honest, most of us are still stuck in the summer mindset.

If you’re a visual learner like me, sticky notes are your best friend.  My room becomes barricaded with notes such as hand in that scholarship! Or you have a psychology test Friday! Or even the basic reminder to be a boss every day!

If sticky notes aren’t your thing, there’s plenty of other ways to hop on the organization train. Junior Jess Lavallee suggests having various folders for different subjects. Lavallee says, “Keep it color coded.” Different colored folders can be a helpful way to keep subjects separate and make for an easy trip to your locker .

Everyone should take a page out of senior Alexia Malangone’s Lily Pulitzer planner. When it comes to being busy, Malangone is the perfect person to talk to. Through juggling soccer, FIT club, and being president of Lion Pride Club (which you all should join if I do say so myself), Malangone keeps sane by planning out all her events. Writing out your schedule and assignments ahead of time can help relieve stress and promote good time management. After all, you know what they say: when in doubt, plan it out!

Let’s switch gears to draw attention to our lovely freshman. Freshman year can be quite hectic during the fall. Getting lost, getting adjusted to high school, and making new friends are all not such easy tasks. The best thing to do is just relax and remember it’s going to get easier. Your fellow freshman Emma Longley recommends to just stay positive. Agreeing with Longley, I think it’s all about looking forward to learning a lot and having some fun!

So remember the beginning of a new school year can be very difficult, but with some focus and hard work (and killer advice from this column) you’re going to get through it and have a great year. That’s all I have for you this month. Stay tuned for next month’s column with some new helpful tips by yours truly.