Senior Advice

My number one piece of advice for underclassmen would be don’t blink. As a freshman, I could not believe I still had four years left. Looking back now, it feels like just yesterday my mom was dropping me off at school while I was daydreaming about getting my license. High School goes by so fast, so savor it. Or if you are like me, be happy that it goes by quickly. Another strong piece of advice I would give would be to not care about what other people think. My freshman year I would not be caught dead without makeup and a pair of jeans on. By my sophomore year I realized it doesn’t matter. It was the best feeling in the world to not care what anyone thought of me. All of my anxiety went away. I now wear sweatpants and no makeup everyday and I’m living my best life. Also, don’t be afraid to cut people out of your life who  aren’t good for you. That person who’s been your best friend all throughout Elementary and Junior High, doesn’t need to be your friend forever. People change a lot in High School. So, you might look back and miss that friend you once had but just remember that’s not who they are anymore and that’s okay. Overall, stay away from drama. Nine times out of ten it’s all nonsense. Also, don’t be stupid and slack off on your school work. I promise you it will never end well. Once you get the feeling of not doing your work you’ll never want to do it again. Which leads to you failing all of your classes and barely passing some. High School can be difficult in some ways, but it can also be simple if you let it be. 

-Lillian Chandler

My advice to the lower classmen is to just enjoy High School while it lasts. I know everyone always says that but I’m serious. You don’t know just how much you love high school until you are about to leave it forever. Make as many friends and memories as you can. Don’t give your teachers that much of a hard time and be nice to everyone. If you're nice to the people around you, you will most likely be treated with respect. Of course not everyone is going to like you, and you’re not going to like everyone either, but you shouldn’t try to feed into the drama. Drama might seem fun while you’re younger but as you get older you start to realize that drama is nothing but problematic. Try your best on your assignments. Even if you are horrible at math, English, science, etc… at least try your best. Always give 110% on everything you do. Don’t get behind on your assignments either. It’s much harder to get caught up on missing assignments than it is to just turn them in on time. Cherish all of the memories and friends you made because no one knows how long they will be around after high school. 

-Reagan Hutchinson

My best advice to the underclassmen is to always make your schooling and extracurricular activities a top priority.  Don’t let your grades start slipping because sometimes it can be way harder than you think to get them back up.  Also, always remember that there is no shame in asking for help sometimes.  Not only with school, if you’re struggling with anything, ask for help.  There will always be at least someone willing to help you.  

Most importantly though, have fun.  Don’t let small things bother you too much.  Always be kind because it pays off.  Also, don’t be the reason someone's day gets ruined. 

-Desirae McJunkin 

As a senior, I encourage the underclassmen to make the most of their time. High school goes by super fast even if you feel now that it’s going to take a lifetime before you graduate. Time flies and this will be the last bit of your childhood before you’re out in the real world. I encourage you to make the most of your high school career and try your best no matter how much you may feel like it’s pointless. Always keep up with your studies, try your best, and make sure you turn your assignments in on time. But most importantly, enjoy the time while it lasts and make the most of it. 

I also encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. Play all the sports, join the clubs, and go to all the sports games that you can. Do what interests you and don’t let other people make you lose the passion of the things you love and the things that make you who you are. Don’t worry about what others think of you because their opinions of you don’t matter. Take risks and don’t be afraid to fail because you don’t have success without failure. I wish you all the best as you navigate your high school career. 

-Finley May

My advice to the underclassmen would be to FOCUS. School is so so so important to get you where you need to be. Don’t worry about boyfriends or drama because that's not what school is about. I understand that no one likes high school and that it's annoying but it's literally like 3% of your life. It’s not that deep. When you get into the real world and have to work like a dog you'll wish you could just go to school and not have to worry about supporting yourself. Do your best in school, let others motivate you to be better. Have the passion to be the best version of yourself that you can be. 

There are so many things to look forward to besides graduating. There's prom, homecoming, driving yourself to school for the first time, painting your senior parking spot, seeing the awards you get at the end of the year, etc. I think saying goodbye to the teachers who  you've grown so fond of, is the hardest part of leaving your high school. Teachers are the only people who  give you your education to get you through life. Appreciate them. Don't catch an attitude with the ones who help you the most. 

-Roxanne Milar

My senior advice is that you should not stress about everything in school because in twenty years it is not going to matter anymore.  Stressing over school work will just overwhelm you and make school ten times harder than it should be.  Do not stress about your grades and your tests because in the end they will not matter because you will be dead.  Stand your ground and stand up for yourself whenever someone treats you poorly.  Enjoy your highschool years and try to have as much fun as you can. Once you are out of highschool you are not allowed to have fun once you graduate because you have to actually grow up unfortunately.  Live your highschool life to the fullest and try to make as many memories as you can because they are all you will have left when it is all over.  Be kind to everyone and be careful with your words because people will use them against you.  Try to make as many friends as possible because the more friends you have the more memories you can make.  Last but not least,  keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer.  

-Dean Montgomery

For my senior advice I need to say that you need to try your best in school. There is no point in not trying because you won’t fail if you just put in a little effort. Try and get your license and stuff like that early because adult life hits you hard and fast. Also, try and enjoy school because this is the only place you can see all your friends. Once we graduate, we most likely are all going to go our separate ways so we have to embrace everyday we have with each other.

-Logan Ott

Dear Underclassmen, 

I am 17, almost 18 and it feels like there was so much I did not do. It is okay to stand out. Being an overachiever is worth it in the long run. So do as many of your classes as soon as you can because then in  your senior year you are less stressed. Take the risk and take the class. You will not fail, I did not take college algebra and ended up getting an A in it anyway and It would have helped my GPA a lot if I would have taken it for college credit. You also do not have to go to college like everyone tells you. There are other ways to get a good job: Adult education at the CTC, take college classes in highschool and take less in actual college . Do not wait until after high school to try something out of your comfort zone, because after high school; you are going to be too busy with either a job or more schooling. So while you are in high school if you think you want to try or do something, like basketball, volleyball, soccer, golf, cheer, any clubs or club sports go for it.

-Katelynn Penwell

If I could give underclassmen any advice, it would be to just not be scared and do the thing. Try out for that sport, join that club, try out for the musical. Whatever it may be, just do it. ”You miss 100% of the chances you don’t take”.  People aren’t really paying as much attention to you as you may think. No one is out to get you.  Everyone is too busy worrying about themselves. Highschool really does go by so fast and before you know it you’ll be a senior typing up one of these for Collins. The way I see it, you gotta be here anyway so you may as well make the absolute most out of it. Come to the games, band concerts, musicals, art shows and dances. One day these memories will be all that you have. So even though it may seem “lame,” just go anyway. Because one day in the future, you may be sitting at home wishing there was something going on up at the school to go to. Don’t leave this place with regrets. Make the most of your time here and enjoy it. Enjoy your teachers, classmates, and school events. You only live once. 

-McKenna Silcott

My advice to my underclassman is to keep on track and do their work. Be sure to be respectful to the teachers you have because they will make your life easier in the following years. Turning your work in on time will save you more than you think because you wouldn't have to worry about being behind on work all the time. Your teachers will be so much easier on you if you follow their directions and listen when they are going over the assignments. If there is extra credit, I would advise you to take opportunities while you can and do not slack off and ignore your grades. Try not to miss so many days of school. Don't be like most kids nowadays and worry about vaping just do the work your teachers expect you to do. It's good to step out of your comfort zone, ask for help and advice when you need it. If your grades are bad don't just give up; your teachers will give you the opportunities to make up what you are missing and help you when needed. I encourage you to do your best and never give up and never let people tell you what you can and can't do.

-Danny Certain

Getting involved is very important. You’re going to hear that from a lot of people but it truly is important. Four years can get lonely and boring without involving yourself in something. I have been in cheer for four years, and even though it was just one sport, I have made a family within cheer. Another very important thing is keeping your grades up. Keeping up with your assignments not only teaches you discipline but it also opens up future opportunities within your career. Pay attention and study a lot within your sophomore and junior years. Paying attention and studying is important to do in your freshman and senior years, but the difficulty starts increasing in your sophomore and junior years. Being present at school will help you a lot.I know that at the moment it does not feel that important but you will look back and regret not going to school especially if you become truant.If you are choosing the college route, colleges look at things like your grades, attendance and extracurricular activities. Taking time for yourself is essential because high school can be very stressful. Make sure to take care of yourself while balancing school and fun activities.

-Sierra Stamper

My advice to underclassmen would mainly be to ignore people who are trying to bother them. The best thing to do when someone is trying to get on your nerves is to just ignore their entire existence. Giving them a reaction will just make it last longer and give them what they want. A reaction is what people look for when bothering other people and once they realize they wont get a reaction they give up. Ignoring them will not only make them give up but it’ll keep you calm from the situation and keep anything from happening.

It’s also really convenient to get a water bottle or flask to have something to drink. Most schools do not provide free drinks so sometimes people buy something to drink from a vending machine. Do the most to keep up with your classes to keep your grades up because it’s hard to make up the points all at once. It’s also helpful to learn how to get along with everyone even if it’s difficult to be near some people. The best thing to do is to get along with everyone regardless of circumstances. It just makes things easier and more simple for yourself.

-Macy (Liam) Taylor

My senior advice is to stay on top of your assignments at school. Staying caught up with your assignments is a really important part of high school. If you don’t stay caught up, you’re going to get bombarded with work, and you will never be able to keep up. Also, while you are in high school, please respect your teachers and do what they ask. It’s not their job to deal with your shenanigans; it is to teach you what you need to learn in order to succeed.  Also, don’t get caught up in high school drama because, at the end of the day, it is not worth it; life is too short to fight with your friends and peers. I also advise you to never wish time away because it’s just around the corner. Do not say "I wish I was a senior already", because I did that, and now I wish I wasn’t. Life is short, so take it all in because, in a few years”, you're going to wish that you were still in high school. Senior year is just the start of how hard life is going to get and where you are now is going to be the best time of your life.

-Lauren Ware

My advice to the underclassmen as a senior is to not fall behind and always get your work done on time. Don’t do stupid stuff to get in trouble and don’t skip class and to all of the 10th graders going into the 11th grade dont cheat and use photomath like I did because I never got my work done on time. If you pay attention and do your work, it is easy to do; because forbes is a good teacher, and she will help you with whatever math work you need help on I was scared of Forbes when I had her for the first time because I always thought she was a strict teacher but she is not as long as you get your work done on time and don't fall behind in her class. Some good advice to the underclassmen is if you have missing work for a class and you're in that class do the work for that class first then do whatever work you have to do for any other class and try not to fall behind and come to school everyday so you don’t fall behind.

-Kyle Malone