Thirteen years ago I had my pink Barbie bookbag packed and ready to go for my first ever day of school. Kindergarten was sure to be a new and exciting adventure and I couldn’t wait to get started. My five year old brain was abuzz with questions for my big brother. Would I make new friends? What would my teacher be like? Could I ride the bus home every day like a big kid?
Now here I am in my graduating year – my very last first day of school has come and gone – and I am the one answering questions. My younger brother is starting grade ten, his first year at Corner Brook Regional High School, and looks to me for details. Years may have passed, but the idea of going to a new school still sparks many of the same questions.
To make the transition from junior high to high school a little easier, here are a few tips for some of our freshman readers:
- First off: congrats! You have gone from sandboxes and sharing in Kindergarten through Elementary School and Junior High all the way to where you are now. Give yourself a pat on the back for making it so far.
- Have you gotten lost yet? If so, don’t worry. The school may seem like a maze at first, but you will figure out where all of your classes are in no time. If you need help, there are maps of the school available from the office but the easiest thing to do is just ask a teacher or a student. We don’t bite, I promise.
- Stick to the right in the hallways. Yes, they are quite crowded. We have around 1000 students at CBRH right now, and getting from class to class goes much more smoothly when the traffic moves in the “right” directions.
- Have a plan. Even if the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” still leaves you searching for an answer, it helps to have an idea of what courses you need to take for the next three years in order to graduate. Three year plans can be picked up outside the guidance counsellors’ office and feel free to talk to your homeroom teacher or one of the guidance counsellors about it.
- Stay organized. Maybe in junior high yours was the locker with the moldy sandwiches hidden under piles of crumbled sheets, but this is a fresh new year! Keep your work organized and you won’t need to break a sweat when teachers ask you for that assignment they gave you last week.
- Get involved! I have been told that there is a direct correlation between grades and involvement in extra-curricular activities. So listen to the announcements, talk to friends and teachers, and find out what is going on at our school. Like the arts? We have a choir, drama club, and art club. More the athletic type? Try outs for teams will be starting soon; we have basketball, volleyball, fencing, archery, track and field, and more. There is something for everyone! For a more detailed list of some of last year’s clubs, check out http://www.cbhs.k12.nf.ca/CBRH%20Activity%20list%202012.pdf.
Hopefully this helps to make your first year at Corner Brook Regional High a little easier and much more enjoyable! To all new and returning students of CBRH, I wish you the best of luck and hope that you have an amazing year.