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At the halfway mark of high school, the Class of 2028 gears up to reach junior year, but wouldn’t some advice suffice? Junior Jo McAlpine gives insight on what the ropes of junior year looks like. 

She said junior year isn’t an easy year because there aren’t many easy components to it, but she says the most exciting part is “being an upperclassman and having a little more freedom.” The hardest part is the workload especially with the projects and papers you have. 

As a junior, you come to school, take notes and do work in your classes, see your friends, go home and then do more work depending on what you could or couldn’t get done at school. Juniors typically tend to have more work than most classes, so making sure you are staying on top of it and paying attention in class is important. You will also most likely have more activities and responsibilities outside of school. 

Her main advice is to not “stress yourself out and load yourself with a lot of hard classes and homework,” McAlpine said. She said that using your study hall wisely is incredibly important to manage all the work you have. With the work juniors do have, it is important to balance classes. McAlpine said it’s important to take a fun class that will make junior year a little more enjoyable. 

As freshman year comes to an end for the Class of 2029, advice from current sophomores can help them have an easier transition into the next school year. 

Sophomore Elise Willson says that daily life as a sophomore, at least for her, starts off with an energy drink in the morning. She then drives to school and loves getting to see all her friends. “Sophomore year is the perfect time to get to know people you haven’t talked to before,” Willson said. The courseload she receives as a sophomore is decently balanced with some classes being harder than others, but overall still manageable. After the school day, sophomores can expect to have things like activities, sports, personal time, friends, work, etc. 

Willson said the easiest part of sophomore year is managing schoolwork, but the hardest part is managing social life and academics. Being able to find a good balance between the two while still leaving time for yourself is important.

With sophomore year, comes the excitement of getting your license. “Driving opens up so many opportunities for you and your friends, whether it be going to the gym or the store by yourself, getting Sonic or candy with friends on a late weekend night or even just going to the library to study,” Willson said. 

Her overall advice for incoming sophomores is to discover yourself. There can be a lot of pressures with things like friends, academics and responsibilities making it difficult to find time for yourself. Getting out and trying new things to explore what really makes you who you are is important. “If anything, I’ve found that I’ve made more friends being authentically me and doing genuine things than keeping my true self tucked away,” Willson said. 

The Class of 2030 is getting ready to experience their first year of high school. As they leave middle school behind, here are some tips that freshman Iyanna Banks has to offer.

In comparison to how much work other classes receive, freshmen definitely have an easier courseload, but the adjustment to the block scheduling is what Banks found most difficult. “It was a lot of work at first, but you get used to it as the year goes on,” Banks said. She loves her art class with Mrs. Anne Tompsett because she believes that Tompsett makes art really fun and enjoyable. 

Most of the work Banks receives as a freshman is done inside of school during free time or study halls so that she doesn’t have as much work outside of school. She believes the most exciting part of freshman year is getting to meet new people. “The most exciting part is being with my friends who feel like my sisters, and going to different events,” Banks said. 

Ultimately, her advice to the incoming freshmen is to stay true to yourself because that is the best way to find your group of people at Marian.

So, whether you’re an incoming freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, use this advice to your advantage so that you can hopefully feel more confident, at ease and ready for your next school year.