Top 5 things about Furness: A Guide to 9th Grade

By Saw Win & Yehezkiel Widjaja
October 16, 2024

This is your first year at Furness as a ninth grader, congratulations! This guide will explain the top five things you should know about Furness and its community. Make friends, get to learn about your teachers and, heck, even the subjects you are learning! Don’t hesitate to ask older students or teachers if you have any questions about the school.

Here in Furness, you can definitely make new friends no matter who they are. Having friends at Furness can help you feel less lonely and more, well, lively. Friends can help you with tough assignments whenever you don’t understand them. 

This year, Furness has hired many new teachers. They, like you, are new to Furness and its traditions. So try to be easy on the teachers, but ask questions if you don’t understand what they want from you in terms of assignments.

Like teachers, Furness has hired new staff members. They are in Furness to help students with their assignments, check in with them to ensure their grades are nothing to worry about, making sure they feel welcomed in school, and that they are okay mentally. Meet with school counselors if you want to open up about your personal feelings about anything or if you want to discuss changing classes for your roster. They can also help you search for colleges, if you are aiming to go to one. 

Unsurprisingly, Furness has after-school clubs. If you want to do something productive after school other than just instantly go home, we have a variety of clubs to offer. Do you like to run around South Philly? Go join the Running Club! Want to make articles, fictional stories, poems, or video skits? The Media Club is your go-to location! Why not hang around and play video games in school? We have a video game club for you as well. So, if you feel like it, try to join a club and put your interest to use. Don’t forget, being in a club doesn’t always have to be serious. Have fun and enjoy talking with clubmates. 

Classes are important as they help you learn about certain subjects you didn’t know previously in your life. Some classes are required for you to graduate, but there are some classes that you can choose to go to when you enter 10th grade. As long as you listen to the teacher, ask questions, and try your best, you should do well in classes. Plus, there may be teachers that won’t give out homework. Don’t fret, the teachers won’t bite—at least not all. Try to get to know them at least a little and respect their policies.