Ah, to be a freshman! When you are just beginning that wonderful journey known as high school, right on the cusp of entering college and the real world. The beginning of your high school career, and the end of your childhood. Well, you freshmen are having all kinds of words of wisdom shoved down your throat by parents, teachers, and upperclassmen. They have given you advice: some stern (don’t do drugs!), and some more realistic (just pass all your classes). At the risk of piling too much advice upon young backs, here are some quick and easy tips for freshmen (and everyone else):

Tips:

When you first walk into a classroom, you will imagine that everyone’s eyes are on you, as if they are waiting for you to make a mistake. Don’t worry about that. Oh, they’re all watching you all right, but if you worry about it you are much more likely to embarrass yourself. Ignore the stares unless you want to become known as The-Guy-Who-Tripped-Over-His-Desk for a year.

At some point during the year, it’s going to be lunchtime and you aren’t going to be able to find your friends. That’s perfectly natural and it happens to all of us. Just wander around for a bit and you’ll meet up with someone you know. Of course, if you are alone during lunch because you don’t have any friends, that’s something else. Frankly, that’s a little weird. You should have at least one friend you can talk to. Otherwise, what are you going to do for an hour? Granted, at least the longer lunch is an upper in itself. One suggestion for making friends is to get a car. Then everyone will love you.

Speaking of cars and friends, it may sound cynical, but find someone with a car and become their best friend. Some people will tell y o u that you should make friends with people that are honest and that have good qualities, but the best quality of all in a friend is a car.

You are clumsy. High schoolers are always clumsy with all of the adolescence and whatnot coursing through their veins. So you will trip and fall down the stairs at some point, and in all likelihood, someone will be watching you. Maybe a lot of people. Maybe an entire hallway full of people watched you fall down the stairs and are laughing at you. Maybe you will even be wearing a mini skirt at the time. If that happens, just smile and wave at them, like it was no big deal. Maybe take a little bow or curtsy. Falling down the stairs isn’t that bad. At least you get down faster.

People (parents, teachers, counselors) will tell you to study and take difficult courses because you have to get good grades and get into a good college to get a law degree and have it made and if you don’t get at least a B in math you’ll be stuck playing the tuba in Pike Place Market, hoping someone will give you some spare change. That is a gross exaggeration. No one has ever looked back on their life and said, “Boy, if I had gotten into that Ivy League school, everything would have been a lot better for me!” (Or for that matter you don’t hear, “Dang, if I had taken honors math in my Freshman year of high school I’d be living like a king!”) Take some chances. That’s what life is all about.

No one has ever looked back and said, “Boy, I sure wish I had spent a lot more time out on Alder!” either.

Clubs:

There are a lot of clubs at Garfield. You should join at least one. For example, if you like sewing, you can join the sewing club. Or if you like Asian-Pacific islanders, you can join the Asian-Pacific islander club.

Things About GHS to get pumped about:

I’m SO glad I go to Garfield High! Aren’t you? Join in the school spirit you Bulldogs and dogettes! If there’s one good thing about Garfield is that we come together when the purple and white flies and even if you think pompoms are stupid and don’t want to paint a big G on your stomach, at least have fun!

Don’t worry, high school really isn’t as bad as they say it is.

It isn’t as good as they say it is either.

JUST KIDDING! The number one rule of high school: HAVE FUN!