What’s up, warriors! I’m Hadley Marston, and I’m a senior here at Wakefield. My experience at school has been an absolute rollercoaster, and I feel it is important to share my Wakefield story as well as pass on a few things I’ve learned to the next group of warriors. 

Piece of advice #1: Put yourself out there and make connections

It sounds basic, but there are many reasons that you should try to make friends at the beginning of high school. Even though it can be incredibly stressful and intimidating to be vulnerable and talk to someone you’ve never spoken to before, it’s very important to know as many people as you can. Friend groups likely will change, and you never know who you’ll end up being closest to. Your future best friend may be the person who sits by themself at lunch or the person who doesn’t speak to anyone in your math class. It’s important to take advantage of opportunities you get to talk to these people. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that being by yourself is perfectly fine and shouldn’t be embarrassing. Friendships are incredibly important, but so is having time to yourself to focus on school work or just take a break. Try not to stress out too much about friendships! 

Piece of advice #2: Prioritize school work early in you high school career

This one also seems pretty obvious, but it’s so important to stay on top of your school work at the beginning of high school, especially if you plan on pursuing higher education. Cultivating good study habits and eliminating procrastination is easiest at the beginning of high school because this is the time when your classes are easiest and academic stress is likely the lowest. I personally did poorly one quarter of English my freshman year, and it impacted my entire GPA for the rest of high school. My senior year I started using a planner, and it’s been so helpful because I can’t lose track of my homework/tests and their due dates.

Piece of advice #3: Find things you like to do and stick with them 

This tip is very helpful for many reasons. Firstly, colleges really appreciate when a student has been committed to one or two types of activities and stuck with them throughout all of high school. Freshman year is the best time to join sports, clubs, or other extracurricular activities. Not only will joining things help you to make new friends, but it also provides a way for students to test the proverbial waters when it comes to areas of interest. As you get older, you can drop particular activities that you didn’t enjoy. For example, I’ve tried multiple clubs, sports, and even theater, but I’ve only been committed to three activities for all 4 years, and that’s perfectly fine.

Piece of advice #4: Keep a journal/keepsake bin

In freshman and sophomore year, I kept a journal that I wrote in to document my days. I absolutely love to go back and look at how things have changed for me, and even how much I’ve changed because of my experiences. These journal entries are also important to me because they’ve helped me to formulate my college essay. Keep in mind that the journals can be super simple – my sophomore year journal was simply a gratitude book where I wrote down what I was grateful for each day. Having these memories in writing is super special. 

Piece of advice #5: Take the classes you have the capacity to take

It’s a blessing to be in APS and to have access to NOVA classes, DE (dual enrollment) classes and AP classes. These types of programs can be amazing as they allow students to get college credits while still technically in high school. However, if you don’t have the capacity to take 6 AP classes – don’t take them! It’s not worth it to take classes that you know you won’t excel in. Do the best you can to get the best grades you can.

My life has changed a lot throughout my experience in high school. I still remember pulling up to Wakefield on my bus the first day of school as a freshman. I had never entered the building and couldn’t even remember ever seeing the exterior. I walked in and sat by myself during orientation. 

Everything was new and intimidating. I had 3 friends that I knew from middle school, but I recognized so few faces.

But, as the years have gone on, things have become less daunting. I recognized new people every day. I became comfortable with my teachers. I made friends on my bus and at my lunches. Now, as a senior, I pull up to school everyday in my own car. I get to leave for lunch. I have three teachers this year that I had in the past years. Things have become familiar, and I’m comfortable at school. So, my overall piece of advice is to not stress out at the beginning of high school. Things will change and they will get better.