b'final mattersMaking the Most of SchoolA note from a rising sophomoreBY SETH PEIRISI f were being hon- means simply experiencing somethingswim team, a humbling experience (I est,sophomorenew. Applied to school, this might belost almost every race) that I hope to be yeardoesntre- new teachers, new friends, new class- a part of again.allysoundthatmates, or even a new building. Pro tip:Ifyoustillarentlookingforward special.Imean,When you get your schedules in theto school, thats okay: You dont have its not like fresh- summer, try not to take teacher rat- to go to the first day all excited and manyear,whenings(fromsiteslikeRateMyTeachers. passionate. That stuff just helps make youre learning to adjustcom) or what other people say aboutit more tolerable. Many days, I dread tohighschool,junioryour teachers to heart. This way, forgoing to school. Theres the infamous year, when youre finallyone thing, you dont go into school onhighschoolworkload,zombie-like anupperclassmanandthe first day with a potentially negativeexhaustion,andsometimesjustthe possiblylookingintomindset that can affect the rest of thethought of so much social interaction. colleges,orsenioryear,year, and for another, you dont spoilTo motivate myself, I think about all when many people applythe adventure of having new teachers. the people who might not have access tocolleges(andgetin- It also helps to get involved in schoolto a strong, reliable education, as we do fected with senioritis).life by joining sports or clubs. Duringin Maplewood/South Orange, and the To me, sophomore yearthe fall, as I had done the year before,impact of getting an education on my seemsmorelikethoseI was a member of the Columbia Highfuture.awkwardpre-teenyearsSchool marching band, something thatWhethertheylikeitornot,mil-Above: Seth Peiris makes a good case for looking for-youre not a little kid,I am looking forward to doing againlions of children and teenagers in the ward to his sophomore year at CHS. Below: Peiris enjoysbut youre still not one ofthis year. If you play a wind instrument,USA will be attending school this fall. being a member of the CHS Marching Band.those moody teenagers. want to take up a second one, or joinAndwhileitmaybetedious,dull, That being said, it still has the potential to be an amazing year (or just a decentthe color guard, you should definitelystrenuous, and annoying, we might as one, if you lean a little more pessimistic). In fact, there are countless things to lookconsider marching, as it provides youwell make the most out of it. forward to. Of course, these things can be applied to almost anyone attending awithaone-of-a-kindcommunityofSeth Peiris is an incoming sophomore at school of sorts, so dont worry if youre not a special sophomore, like me. marvelous people. In addition, I was aColumbia High School who wishes youFor starters, you can try to think of school as an adventure which, to me,member of the Columbia High Schoolor a person you knowa great school year.46/ matters magazine / school 2019'