Gra nger High School
Tri-Color Times an open forum for student opinion and expression
ADVICE FROM A FORMER LANCER
NOW that I’m gone and graduated I decided, why not give some advice to the new sophomores or to the juniors and seniors who are falling behind. Being in high school was one of the toughest things that I had to deal with in my life. Many of you will find this to be your case in the coming years or many of you have already realized this. So here are some things to make high school a bit easier: Don’t go off sluffing or hanging out with your friends. It may seem fun, but it’s the consequences that come with your actions that hurt you. You may think, “Well, I heard packets are easy”, “I can always make it up in summer school”, or “I’ll just make it up in A+”. Truth is packets aren’t easy, they’re really hard; A+ is not even available anymore. Like I already said, some students are okay to take summer school. Summer time is our vacation from dreaded school that we desire all year long, so why would you want to waste summer making up for the things you knew better than to do? You’ll also lose citizenship credit, and you’ll have to make that up also before or after school, and from what I heard from my friends they didn’t enjoy making that up. Just think about the consequences. Find a teacher or anyone that can help you. In my case I had Mr. Carlisle and Ms. Oliver (before she became a counselor). They’re the reason I graduated. I’m sure any of the teachers are willing to help you out in any way you can, you just have to find the ones that understand you and click with you the most. When it comes to the counseling center and office, it can get ugly. I dreaded going to the counseling center because it’s almost impossible to get an appointment. It was always the same thing: “Come back before or after school.” Don’t go to the counseling center unless it’s something really important like missing credits, or personal issues, or anything else causing problems. Don’t get me wrong,
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though, you should schedule appointments with your counselor to check up on your PTG (progress towards graduation) so that you know what you need to do before it’s too late. I hardly ever went into the office, but I do know that if you have fees you need to pay, or if you need to get your fee waiver card -- go in during lunches! It’s like a jungle when it comes to lunch time. Everyone is hungry and is in a hurry to get food, so they cut in line and what not. You need to get to the lunch room A.S.A.P! It’s difficult to get food when you arrive late because you’ll only get like 5 minutes to eat and that sucks. If you can’t make it to lunch early, then you should try the school breakfast; the doors usually open at 7 A.M. And it’s an easier way for you to not be so hungry once lunch time rolls around. “School lunch” is famous for being nasty but there are a couple of items I would recommend. The sandwiches they have are simple and very delicious. The enchiladas are also good but I don’t recommend eating the rice and beans (they have no flavor at all). The grilled cheese sandwich is up there, too. The final thing I recommend is the baked potato. It has cheese and cooked broccoli. It was by far the thing I looked forward to eat all the time. As you go through high school you’ll develop a like and dislike for certain lunch items, but take my advice, those are the best. Get involved! Don’t go all through high school without doing anything. The only thing I did was join yearbook. But it taught me to be responsible and what not. You can learn a lot from being involved and make new and lasting friends too. Not to mention how amazing being involved will look on your college applications. I wish I would’ve been more involved. So join as many things as you can or maybe one day you’ll regret it just like I do. This is all I can do to help you guys out. I wish I would’ve taken my own advice, but I learned a lot that will follow me into my future. Now it’s up to you to decide what you want to do with the rest of your years here at Granger or whatever school you may go to. Just remember you’re the only one that can make you succeed. Listen to yourself and follow your heart because it can get you far. Basically, don’t screw up or you’ll regret it.
Follow this checklist to help yourself be prepared for the 2009-2010 Granger High school year: Proper School Supplies: Notebooks, pens, pencils, folders, etc. are must haves. Class Schedule: Make sure you remember when and where all of your classes are so you are not marked tardy or absent. Textbooks: It is really hard to read along with your teacher when you do not have something to read from, let alone do finish your work. Designated Homework Time: Without the time to complete your homework, how do you expect to pass your classes? A Locker: Sometimes it gets really difficult hauling a giant backpack around. Instead, go to the front office and ask for a locker combination and number to store your personal items.
With all of these items being put to good use, it will be really hard to fail even the hardest of classes. Be smart!
SLUFFING OVERRATED
SEVERAL reviews for the new school year most likely relate to the school’s dress code or regulations, however, my topic of interest comes from the highest percentage of dishonorable attendance—sluffing. There are numerous sensible reasons why a student, like you, may sluff. You consider it to be “hip” or even “cool”. I know, you forgot to study for your math test today and wanted a few extra days to learn the material. You could not stand one more second with that growling stomach of yours, McDonald’s was a must. You were wearing the same shirt as that girl you have always loathed entirely. Or maybe you just did not want to attend school that day. Whatever need be the reason, sluffing is absolutely overrated. Conversely, I completely understand that some of you must take what we like to call “personal days”. It seems impossible for one person to attend every single recorded
I n s id e : Ta ke a Look! A ld ija n a ex p la i ns t he new ha l l swe e ps S a n ja wa n ts y ou t o st a rt t hi s ye a r out ri ght Th e S B O s h ave a m e ssa ge for t he e nt i re stu d e n t b o d y N ic h o le p r ove s e l e c t ri c i t y i s a ne c e ssi t y K a r ia n n g ive s advi c e for hom e c om i ng
August 2009
high school calendar day. On the contrary, I mean, come on people. If you are attempting to weasel your way out of class, at least consider producing good excuses. I am sick of hearing things such as, “I missed class today Mr. Fuller because I got a skin disease; it came out of nowhere!” I am tired of listening to stuff like: “I was in California for three days, that’s why I missed your class Dr. Miller,” or “My mother was deathly ill,” or “My dog died yesterday.” Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! People please! Get creative. We did not receive imaginations so that they could turn to blobs and never be used. Consider using excuses such as, “I got locked into math office today,” or “someone threw a giant fountain drink at my head and it splattered all over my clothing. I had to go home to change,” or “Mr. Murdock and I were having tea together in his office.” Despite whether you can discover an ultimate excuse or not, I do not excuse sluffing at all. After my high school career, I have realized that sluffing does not get you anywhere good. When you choose to sluff, a) your parents usually, always catch you, b) you miss out on important lessons, c) school becomes very difficult because you often struggle to keep up with missing work, d) your attendance stoops into the underground and you have to spend extra time at school making up citizenship and e) it does not prepare you for college where nobody cares whether you attend or not. So students, take my advice as one of Granger’s well-known sluffers, it is simply not worth it. I understand that, in your opinion, you may have better things to do. Nonetheless, sluffing honestly sets you upon the path towards flipping burgers at an hourly rate of six dollars. Are you willing to give up your fortune and potential because you did not want to attend class everyday for four years in high school?
Volume LII, Issue 1