Teenagers are now returning to school. Although many teens feel that summer just started last week, it has come to an end. The memories of a, hopefully, great 2014 summer vacation will be missed as teens now have to shift their focus towards meeting new teachers and completing endless amounts of assignments for the next nine months. Since this can be awfully stressful, especially for teens entering their junior year of high school, it is important for every teen to have a safe and healthy method of coping with the stress.
High school is often looked at as either an amazing time in a person’s life or a time full of pressure and torture. As a current high school student at the Wheatley School, I believe that it is important to have a balance of studying and fun during the school year to ensure that high school is a great experience. These two aspects of high school are the yin and yang of teenage life; without one, a teen becomes engulfed in stress and pressure, either from teachers or from peers.
One of the best ways to take a break from school is to join a club. Both Wheatley and Roslyn High Schools offer numerous amounts of clubs from robotics to Spanish club to satisfy their students. Last year, the newest club in The Wheatley School, the chess club, was created. As the founder and president of the club, I keep the doors to our meetings open to anyone who wants to join. The Wheatley Chess Club has become highly popular over the past school year, and the team has begun competing in the Long Island High School Chess League, playing against schools such as Roslyn and Chaminade. All clubs help a student feel closer to a school community, which can boost a teen’s motivation for attending school and keep a student sane during tough exam weeks.
An alternative to joining a club is joining a sports team. As a high school teen, it is evident to me that, for most students, it is essential to be fairly popular. Having good friends by one’s side is a way for a student to feel stronger. Joining a sports team gives a student bonds with other students from the school, causing his/her confidence to rise. No matter if the teen is athletic or good at any particular sport, there is a team that is willing to obtain his/her assistance. If all other teams fail, every high school has a track team that has a job that can fit anyone, and no student is cut from the team.
As school is now here, it is imperative for a student to keep his/her confidence high and to be willing to battle challenges throughout the school year. By overcoming the stress, the student will be able to overcome challenges and learn, as is true for when a teen enters the real world.
–By Ron Aldad, a Roslyn resident and student at Wheatley High School
