Welcome to high school! This is the beginning of the ending of your grade school journey! This transition from middle school to high school can be quite overwhelming and scary, but trust the process and do everything in your power to make high school the very best! Did you know that in high school your GPA starts over? This can be exciting for those who didn't do so hot in middle school, but worrisome for those who excelled. Again, the page you are on is empty, and now you have the opportunity to fill it with new things! Make great decisions and become the best version of yourself!

Adjust to High School Life

Develop Strong Academic Habits

• A successful Freshman year can set you up to be successful for the rest of your high school journey. Right away, try your best to develop strong academic habits.

• Make use of a planner so you are mindful of your homework assignments, of deadlines, of due dates, etc.

• Create a schedule for your personal life outside of school! You don't always 100% have to follow this, but some structure is always helpful. Maybe you could dedicate an hour everyday to studying, or 30 mins to game time, and 2 hours to reading, etc.

• Learn about yourself and what the best way to study for yourself is; maybe you like a lot of noise, or maybe you don't like noise at all? Maybe you need hands-on study habits versus lecture style, maybe you're a better studier at night versus in the early afternoon? Discover your best study habits, and make use of that!

• Schedule and meet with your teachers when you feel like you are falling behind or need extra help. The most important thing to do when you don't understand something is to ask someone to help you understand.

• In high school, do your best to strive for a strong GPA, but overall, a GPA of 3.0 is the magic number. It is the bare minimum of a magic number, but if you can at least get a 3.0, you should be okay to excel in most areas of school. Anything above that is outstanding, but anything below will need some work...

Begin Building your Resume & Character

• One day, you're going to want to get a job or an internship somewhere, and the thing that will help you get that are your experiences, your character, and a resume.

• From here on, do all that you can to help build your character, to bring in experiences, and to add to your resume.

• What is a resume? A resume is a short page (or digital document) that tells people about you when you're trying to get something—like a job, an internship, a scholarship, or even a special program at school. It can show:

  • • Who you are

    • What school you go to

    • What skills you have

    • What activities you're in (like sports, clubs, or volunteering)

• To begin building these qualities, I highly suggest that you join a school club, or a school sport, or get an internship with Right Track, volunteer somewhere, be a part of a community outside of school, and so on. 

• See this page HERE for more details on building your resume and character

Begin Exploring Career Interests

• I know, you are still quite young and have lots of time to decide what you want to be when you are older, but trust me!! That time is going to fly by and before you know it, you're going to be a Senior having to decide what your next step is.

• From here on out, do everything to helping explore careers that you are even just slightly interested. 

• Take advantage of the lessons learned in Freshman FOCUS or AVID 9. 

• Connect with Ms. Voigt, who is the Work-Based Learning Coordinator here at Johnson, she could help you find a job or get you more information about any career you are thinking about!

• Explore careers through Right Track!

• Talk with your teachers and staff, and get to know how they became who they are today.

Begin Building Strong Relationships

• The people who will help you become successful are surrounding you. Make sure you begin building strong and meaningful connections with:

  • • Your teachers

    • Your friends and peers

    • Your coaches

    • and so on ...

  • These individuals could help you one day get a job, find an internship, get a scholarship, or something even as simple as provide a shoulder for you to lean on.

  • It is so important that you begin seeking individuals who will make you the greatest version of yourself, and begin connecting those relationships with your future gaols and aspirations.

Meet with your School Counselor

• Your school counselor is someone who will be able to help you keep track of your school credits to ensure you are on track to graduate. They can help you ensure you are taking the correct classes and that you have not fallen behind on anything!

• Not only this, but they are also a great resource to help you be successful.

• Not sure who your counselor is? Your counselor is dependent on the beginning of your LAST NAME. Find them below!

  • • Last Names A, B, Vb-Z - Ms. Sone Her

    • Last Names C-J - Ms. Samina Ali

    • Last Names K-Q - Ms. Alex Slezak

    • Last Names R-Va - Mr. Ker Yang

Opportunities for Freshman to be part of:

• Various college campus visits and tours - Happens throughout the school year

• Goldie's Early Access - Field Trip to the UMNTC only available for Sophomores and Freshman

• Get a job with Right Track - Connect with Ms. Voigt to learn more

• Be part of the Achieve Twin Cities Advisory Board - Connect with Mr. Billy to learn more

• Join TRIO Upward Bound

• Join TRIO ETS

• Various clubs and sports

• Various internships - Connect with Ms. Voigt to learn more

• At the end of your Freshman year, sign-up to be a Govie Leader! Connect with. Mr. Schmitz or Ms. Krois to learn more