It is that time of year again, summer is over and school is back in session. The regret of not doing enough with the time off, mixes with a feeling of terror. The terror that builds up inside comes from turning in some chicken scratch for summer homework, finished only hours before the first day of school. The real worry becomes whether it is going to count as a real grade, rather than for completion. On the bright side, there are nine months of school to make up for it, oh wait, maybe there is no bright side…

On a more positive note, this year seems to entail a lot more fun than the previous one. The freshmen finally get to begin the adventure that is high school. A primary reason that high school is so fantastic is due to the endless amount of sports, clubs, and activities available. They are loads of fun, and a fabulous opportunity to make new friends. Unfortunately, high school is not fun and games all the time. Yup, that is right, the dreaded word we students have tried to forget all summer, homework, returns. To make matters worse, the homework load is generally larger than that of middle school. DO NOT PANIC!!! That is the worst thing you can do, as there are many ways to manage homework. Here are some tips to help you succeed whether you are a freshman or a senior:

1) Have some sort of a system, either hardest to easiest or vice versa, as this will either finish the most important assignments first or warm the brain up for the difficult tasks.

2) Make a friend or two in each class, as this will save you when the assignment does not seem to make sense at all. Sometimes an idea or two in the right direction helps a lot.

3) Take a break from school when you get home, relax for a bit as the brain works better when it does not work constantly.

4) Use lunch to complete some work, especially for those who do not have study hall, as one period can easily finish a few assignments for home.

5) Lastly, chop the amount of homework you have into parts as it will seem and be much more manageable.

Hopefully those tips keep you freshmen alive, at least for first semester.

Moving on to sophomores, this is year should be better than last. Now, you actually know where class are, but with a new addition to the school, things are going to be a bit messy at first, making us all feel a little like freshmen. However, with a year under your belt, the fun of high school should pick up right where it left off from. Although many of you will face a new challenge in the form of AP classes, do not be discouraged. As daunting as they sound, approach them the same as you would any other class. The only difference between AP classes and any other class is time. AP classes will require a bit more time, but the longer you spend studying, the easier the class will become. Good luck, and just remember to breathe every now and then.

As for upperclassmen, keep doing what you have done as it has gotten you to where you are now. Continue to utilize the methods that have been successful for prior classes and remember the secret of high school: adapt to challenges as they arise.

While the negatives of school have returned, so have the positives. In order to have a great time at West, make it more fun than work. This year should be pretty cool, especially now that we have air conditioning.