Many of these were written by students in the International Baccalaureate program, but there are also several grouped together at the end written by students in the traditional Bartow High School program. They are otherwise in no particular order.

 

 

Dear IB Freshmen,

Prior to this school year, you guys made one of the most important decisions of your lives.  No matter how many times you feel like you can’t go through with it, just push yourself to the max and you will surprise yourself.  Motivation is the key to success in the IB program. Although at the time it will seem like the longest phase of your life, you will realize that it’s all worth it in the end.  You’re getting a better education than any other high school student in the state, so take pride in the fact that you were admitted into the program.

Each and every one of the underclassmen has a job to follow through with during their years in the IB program.  You must maintain the high status which the classes before you have created.  The future of the IB program and its prestige is in YOUR hands, so don’t screw it up!!!

Procrastination is inevitable.  So, instead of me wasting my time telling you to avoid it at all cost, I will instead just remind you not to let it become a lifestyle, because in this case, failure is inevitable.  Just do your own work, and be aware that from now until you actually go to college, EVERYTHING counts.  Just because you’re freshmen and technically not in IB yet, doesn’t mean that your grades are unimportant. Colleges look at everything you have done since the ninth grade, so again, don’t screw up.

Last, but definitely not least, have fun.  You will encounter so many sleepless nights studying or finalizing things you have put off doing until the last minute.  You will be stressed so many times beyond measure.  Remember IB is not a walk in the park, but the most important thing is not to overdo it.  It’s high school, which should be the best of times, so make sure that you take time for yourselves or with friends and just relax and have tons of fun.  Life is not about studying.  Life is not about having fun.  It’s about balance.

Sara Beth Rawlings

 

Dearest Newbies,

First, congratulations, and welcome to IB. I promise that you can pass. Maybe not be top in your class, but certainly pass. The thing about IB is that it has to be something you want to do. The question isn’t your ability – after all, you got in. They wouldn’t accept you if you were completely incapable of doing it. The real question, the one that you will face the night before every test you take and every paper you write, is simple: Is this worth it?

It doesn’t really matter what your motive is. It could be the scholarships, or a love of challenges, or the friendships you’ll develop. What matters is that you have the drive – if you have no reason to stay, then don’t. I’m sure you could still complete the program, but staying for your parents’ sake alone will only make you miserable.

Now, assuming you DO have a reason to stay, there are some things you can do to make life easier. First, don’t forget that the same 60 kids around you now are there for four years. Try to get along with everyone, even if you don’t necessarily like them. It’ll make life a lot easier later on.

Smaller, but still very important, things to know: Get a good backpack. The kind with padding in the straps, if you can – Swiss Army makes some awesome ones. You should also invest in a laptop if you’re considering taking Shuff in sophomore year or right before you enter your senior year. Don’t even bother trying to take notes by hand. On your laptop, you should install a program called Rainlendar. It’s a calendar that goes on your desktop, and you can fill out events for each day, a to-do list, and a weekly event list. It takes up almost no space and is very, very handy to keep yourself organized – go here to download it: http://www.rainlendar.net/cms/index.php and use it!

The other stuff isn’t too hard to figure out. Get along with your teachers, ‘cause one day you’ll need them to write recommendations for college. You should also get as much sleep as possible during your freshman and sophomore years, because it becomes a rare commodity later on. Write down all of your teachers’ phone numbers and email addresses; don’t hesitate to use them. And most importantly – getting a B, especially in Chemistry or Latin American History, won’t kill you.

I wish you all the best of luck.

Kat Artman

 

Dear Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior procrastinating on portfolios or studying for a test,

“Welcome to the International Baccalaureate Program at Bartow High School. This is a rigorous program, and I challenge you to challenge yourselves whether it be here at IB or at your home school.”

I remember freshman orientation like it was yesterday. Such adages from Dr. Vetter all went through one ear and out the other ear because honestly—who pays attention as an 8th grader about a program you never really wanted to enter?

I now realize the importance of paying attention even during those assemblies and orientations because they were true all along—the IB program was a rigorous challenge that I wanted to quit at many times. In realizing the weight that going to IB carries in future resumes and conversations, I stuck with the program. I always thought I would go to college out of state, preferably Stanford. Unfortunately the un-motivated monster came, and I decided to apply early decision to UF to escape the many applications and scholarship stuff. Now, I find myself asking “Why did I go through all the pain of IB?”

If I had to give one piece of advice to a freshman, it would be to avoid making enemies in IB. Inevitably, you will need every last one of them to help you out in some way or another. As long as no one feels any time of animosity toward you, your relations with everyone can get you a better grade in nearly every class. The lack of animosity makes life in the IB program so much easier.

In specificity, you need to know how not to be hated, and this is doing everything I managed to do. Foremost, I knew when to be proud without being arrogant. Try it—you don’t want to be labeled as the “pig-headed” kid in IB—we always have plenty and everyone always tries to stay away from them. Next, I knew when to talk and when to shut up. For example, you will find that when you are in Ms. Frisbie’s class, there are times when you can get her off topic and times when you’ll completely piss her off. I haven’t pissed her off yet, and I imagine I never really will, since most of the time I get her off topic in relevant terms. Also, you will run into perhaps some good looking IBers. Try to limit your dating within the family to no more than ten, you can be made out to be either a slut or just no one really respects. Plus, Vetter said you were family—dating within the family would be like incest. Lastly if you are a cheater, quit or don’t get caught. Your IB teachers are amazingly smart and catch on quick.

The funny thing about trying to “conform” to these standards is that if you aren’t original, you are hated too. Everyone has those certain “copy-cats,” and no one wants two of everyone.

I know my theories on how not to be hated sound very lame and childish but I would like to quote Ferris Bueller: ”It’s a little childish and stupid but so is high school.”

At any rate, in talking about Ferris Bueller that carries on to my next and last piece of advice which may allow future generations to avoid the pitfall I fell into. DO NOT TAKE AP EUROPEAN HISTORY.

Do not fall into peer pressure. That’s how I got in. And I once again quote Ferris Bueller. ”I do have a test today. That wasn’t bullsh*t. It’s on European socialism. I mean really, what’s the point? I’m not European. So who gives a crap if they’re socialist? They could be fascist-anarchists. It still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have a car.” Honestly, history will never help you in real life, and I never understood why I took an extra one as an elective. Mr. Shuff gives you LOTS of notes, and this is where paying attention comes in handy. Everyone told me he gave a lot of notes, he told us he gave a lot of notes. I still took the class, and I died.

Anyway, I’d like to close with a poem I wrote last year (my junior year). It was published in the literary magazine for its truth.

How to survive IB, I find it funny
Today marks my second all nighter
Honestly, it’s making me a fighter
A fighter of yawns and a fighter of time.

I want to compile a list for future victims
A list of dos and don’ts become their dictum.
Enough of introduction, my time I shall not waste
At once right away, I shall hurry with haste.

Foremost, have an email address and screen name
Collusion is TERRIBLE, but it’s an IB student’s fame.

Know how to use your graphing calculator, TI-89 or TI-81 its all the same
It helps for remembering information and playing Tetris the game

Make friends with people outside of IB
They make great refuges you see.

Make friends with people in your grade in IB
I learned that making contacts with each other is the key.

Make friends with people above your grade, preferably one year ahead in IB
I learned that they keep their homework and old tests, nice wouldn’t you agree?

Don’t make friends with underclassmen, mostly sophomores unless you plan to date them
Because if you do then they’ll ask you for labs and worksheets you threw away in Chem

Sound smart, but don’t sound ignorant and elementary
Glasses and big vocab words are definitely complementary

Make friends with your teachers, make them a part of your crew
It’s easier to ask for extensions if they like you

Ride the school bus at all costs even though it sounds nerdy
Gives you time for homework and help, catch it at 3:30!

Don’t study for history tests, I know it’s a shame
But I’ll tell you a secret, you’ll fail them all the same.

Forget memorizing formulas for math, they are an unneeded pest.
They give you a packet of formulas and how to use them for the test.

Do your biology labs before the week gets started
Because I learned to start them the night before is absolutely retarded.

Have an opinion in TOK and make sure to shout them out, don’t be stray
It will save the failing mark you’ll receive on the extended essay.

Do your work and pay attention in psychology class,
And I tell you now, you will most definitely pass.

Learn your Spanish vocabulary freshman and sophomore year
I guarantee you’ll forget them as orals approach near.

Read your books for English class and take good notes
IB examiners absolutely love quotes.

Take a 4.0 elective and nothing higher
I took AP Euro and burned in fire.

These things I share to my comrades in this war
Its 2:05 AM and I get up at 4.
The IB life has no rest but I have one more to give you

Procrastinate even though teachers tell you not to
Why do something today when you can put it off for tomorrow.

In that spirit, I’ll get back to studying for finals or myspacing.

Over and out,

Mae “Mawi” Mercado

 

Dear Freshman,

It has come to the time of year when the stress accumulates until we all want to pull our hair out. Dun, dun, dun. Semester finals. Wait, didn’t mean to scare you but I’m just trying to be honest. First piece of advice I have to give is get high grades the first nine weeks of every semester so you don’t have to feel pressured to make that semester A the second nine weeks. It will be a smooth ride if you work hard ahead of time.

Also, be nice to everyone in your class — even people you don’t like. I’ve learned this from personal experience. I’m sure you will have days when you just can’t get any grumpier (from lack of sleep) but be nice to everyone. Don’t make any enemies. If you ever need some notes emailed to you or help on how to solve that math problem that was for homework, you will need friends who are willing to share their knowledge with you. This doesn’t mean collude, of course.

Ah, some classes that I recommend you not to take. European History. European History. European History. History is of no use to you unless you want to be a historian or something. Don’t be that much of an over-achiever because it will only ruin your sophomore year. And did I mention you will probably study your butt off and still make a B in the class? You don’t need the extra work for an elective. Pick an elective in which you can meet new people, relax, and have fun (yes, it is possible to have fun at school). And if you’re a bit nerdy like me, an elective in which you can study for your hard classes.

I can’t stress enough that you should get a lot of sleep each night. If you don’t then I recommend you buy a 12-pack of Starbucks Frappuccinos from Sam’s Club to help you get by if you’re having a particularly rough week. Sleep really does help, trust me. It will help you do better on tests and it significantly improves your memory as well. So for example, if you’ve decided to stay up and pull an all-nighter to study for a history test — don’t. It will only make you extremely tired the next day and you won’t remember any of the names you tried to cram into your brain that morning.

Also, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME TALKING ON AIM! You will only be really tired the next day, and besides, who needs the latest gossip? Wouldn’t you rather do well on your test while everyone else (who was up talking on AIM) fails? This goes hand-in-hand with procrastination. As over-emphasized as it is, it is the most common occurrence in IB. For example, don’t be like Mark Twain: ”Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” Mark Twain

I just had to include that because it made me laugh.

Also, Focus on English and Math. English is a required course for high school graduation and will help you do well on your World Lit papers senior year. Use Sparknotes to review, but don’t rely on that information to pass your tests. It will only come back to bite you in your rear-end. Besides, the novels you read in IB are actually really interesting. Several of the novels we’ve read so far have become my favorites, especially House of the Spirits, Crime and Punishment, and Perfume: Story of a Murderer. And I said to focus on Math because everyone knows Math is important in life. Even if you won’t use it in your future occupation, knowing Math can still make you feel really smart.

Finally, try to take pleasure in the work you do. Try to find something interesting in everything you learn. It will help you remember facts more easily and will make the work not seem quite so boring. Also, motivate yourself. Pace yourself. There is a better, brighter future ahead of you. After all, your education is an investment in your future. This last piece of advice may seem really nerdy but that is only the lasting effect IB has had on me. It’s like they say, “You can take the kid out of IB, but you can’t take IB out of the kid.” I heard that from a senior my freshman year. It is only now that I truly understand what it means.

Finally, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes that has helped me to get through many stressful days in the IB program. Hopefully it can help you get through each day like it helped me.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” — Robert Frost

Sincerely,

Claudia Phen

 

Dearest Freshman,

I’m going to tell you the absolute truth: IB is really hard.  It’s not always fun and there are days when you’ll cry just because; however, all in all it’s worth it.  At IB you’ll have a class of about 60 kids, and these 60 kids will be the best friends you’ll ever have.  At a larger public school you may have more acquaintances, but at IB everyone is your friend.  They are going through the same things you are, like staying up all night doing homework while still dealing with parents who want you to do countless chores.  It’s a special bond that you form and you will never forget these people.  It’s the friends that I’ve made that have truly made my life at IB enjoyable.

I would say don’t procrastinate and that will make your life at IB easier, but I know you won’t listen because I sure didn’t.  You’re going to have a lot of homework, no matter what, so if you put something off don’t be surprised when you have to stay up until 4 am finishing everything.  Yep, that’s right you have portfolios and the extended essay which require more than one day of work.  Study.  Don’t think, “well, I was top of my class in my middle school, so IB will be a breeze,” because at IB everyone was in the top at their middle school. Don’t get down on yourself either.  You will fail tests and you will forget your homework but it’s ok, life goes on, I PROMISE!  Don’t slack off though because if you forget your homework every day and fail tests every week life may not go on.

At IB you have the most amazing teachers in the world which is why we are number one.  So therefore respect your teachers and listen to what they say; they are only trying to help you succeed.  From freshman year my favorite teacher was Mrs.  Patton.  Mrs. Patton teaches geography and economics and she really cares about your success at IB.  You’ll also have Mrs. Kennon for Biology.  Take notes, do the extra credit, and study for her tests and you’re sure to do just fine in her class.  Ninth grade is a lot of busy work, so just do it!  Tenth grade will be less busy work and more studying.  You’ll have a different chemistry teacher so I have no advice for that, but just work hard.  In English turn your paper in ahead of time, let Mrs. Hardee grade it, and then revise it otherwise your essay grades may not be so hot.  Then eleventh grade hits you and it’s tough because now you have a lot of busy work and tests.  Mrs. Frisbie is the most awesome teacher you’ll have, and no, I’m not saying this because this essay is for her class but I truly do believe that.  Stay awake during notes because at the end of the nine-weeks you’ll have a quiz on everything you took notes on.  Also, take notes because if you catch five mistakes that she makes she brings you candy.  However that rarely happens so stay alert!  Mrs. New teaches psychology and psychology is the first IB test most of you will take. Listen in class, take notes, and do everything she says and you’ll be able to pass.  When Ms.  Smith gives you journal questions… DO THEM!  Don’t wait until the week before Christmas Break to do them all because you’ll have a million other things to do that same week. After you’ve made it through junior year life does not get easier.   Respect Mr.  Guice, my senior year was his first time teaching IB ToK so cut him some slack.  Calculus is not easy even if you didn’t have to study to get an A in trig you are going to have to study to get an A in calculus.  All in all just give IB your very best.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help either, the teachers don’t bite and they aren’t as scary as they seem.

If you feel like you can’t handle it anymore just take a mental health day catch up on everything and be ready to tackle the next day.  Don’t ever turn your back on your friends either; you’ll need them more than you know.   If with nothing else, you’ll at least leave IB having met the most amazing people you’ve ever meet.

Jackie Simons

 

Hello incoming freshman, heed these words that are contained within such a sacred document. Do not slack off the first three years of high school, it is not the best option, although you do not want to simply study either. Have a good balance between work and play, with a good weight in the work department, so essentially have a fun day a week. Also ignore new video games until the summer, video games will be the death of you if you continue to play them as you did in middle school.

Do not take extra AP classes, only tards would do that, or people that want to go into Yale or something, but then you have work a bit more than you probably want to. Make friends with people in your class, get to know them, and take electives where you can do homework together, very important. If you have a weakness in a subject, remember you still are better than most people in that subject. Also join A-team it’s baller, plain and simple, if I could say how baller A-Team was without using the terms awesome, kick ya in the crotch good, and baller, then I would say that it’s so good you would want to smack your mother. Like good Key Lime Pie good, with a side of frozen Reese’s cup thrown in on the side, with a main course of meat lovers stuffed crust pizza.

Beware pitfalls, cause they would suck if you’re silly enough to get caught in them. Do not steal from teacher’s desk answers, especially Mrs. Patton, she is so nice. Do not get caught with study guide for math in your crotch. Do not leave psychology notes on the floor and stare at them trying to read what you wrote. Do not steal someone’s purse and put it in your backpack, Ms. Smith will check your backpack and bust you. Do not cheat off Drew person in Spanish class, they will purposefully mark the wrong answer let you copy the wrong answer and then change the answer just so you will fail. Do not also copy Spanish word for word including the name of the person you are copying. Do not copy from David Schell, it is mostly bs, and you probably cannot read it anyways. Do not have the person’s paper you copying on top of your paper as the teacher makes her rounds, it is very bad. Do not be too lazy to copy someone’s psychology, because Mrs. New does not care, and will let you turn in word for word papers and still get a 98. Do not do all hw except the internal assessment, which is the only thing you will get docked points for by turning in late… all of them, and then get a D and try harder in the class than most everyone else. Do not forget to take your IB formula packet to trig final. Do not skip internal assessments for TOK, you need this to pass IB and get a diploma. Do not be pseudo intellectual, people will find out and think you’re a douche bag. Do not say you don’t need a teacher’s help, and then not get an A on a math test, makes you look really stupid, I promise you. Do not leave the answers to a Shuff test under your desk, pisses off everyone, loses extra credit, and people know who you are. Do not so these things, these are true stories, very sad. Pass this along, and add to it the wisdom of dumb mistakes. I probably forgot a slew of stories of dumb people cheating but these ones came to my head first, and deserved mentioning.

Andrew Schmudlach

 

Dear Freshmen:

Looking back on the beginning of my freshman year, I remember how much time I had… compared to now. I can tell you this, if you can’t handle your freshman year in IB, then you probably won’t be able to handle your sophomore, junior, and senior year. You might think it’s hard now, but it only gets harder. Don’t get me wrong, the work is not that hard, it’s just how long it takes to get the work done. IB will become your whole life if it isn’t already.

There are many things you should try to avoid in order to not get behind and feel so stressed out. The most important and obvious would have to be procrastination. If you get an assignment, do it, or at least start it so that you know what you will have to do. This would help you be able to manage your time because that is the most important thing that you will hopefully learn while in the IB program. When it comes to being stressed, you do it to yourself unless the teacher really doesn’t know how to do their job which is very rare among the IB teachers. Most teachers don’t assign that much work because they understand that we have six other classes other than their class. The work is usually all due around the same time and that is why you have to learn how to manage your time so you do not stress the night before it is due. Just don’t procrastinate and you will get through IB without a problem.

You are important too. Sometime you feel like you don’t have time to take care of yourself, sleep, or eat. This is how I feel every day, but then again I am the biggest procrastinator. You have to make sure you give yourself at least six hours of sleep a night because if you don’t then the results will only make the work harder on you. Also, eat your three meals a day at least so that when you do have a lot of work or tests the next day, you won’t only be thinking about how hungry you are. You will focus on school a lot better.

The best advice I can give you is to never, never, never ever procrastinate. That will make everything else better. If you manage your time then you will always have your work done by a certain time so that you can be  asleep for at least six hours and eat your minimum of three meals. You can do it even if there are times that you feel like you can’t. Don’t just give up without trying.

Sincerely,

Karissa Hansen

 

Dear Freshmen, (or any Junior or Senior reading this to procrastinate on a portfolio or studying for a test),

So, Ms. Frisbie (one of the greatest math teachers you will have!) gave all of us Calculus students an assignment. Apparently we’re supposed to give advice to incoming freshmen about IB. First of all, welcome to hell… I mean, welcome to IB. You want to know the deep, dark, secret of IB? It really is a lot of work. You may hear us saying it’s not really that bad, but it’s because we’re used to the workload. If you’re not ready to deal with the summer school, summer reading assignments, CAS hours, portfolios, and essays, then I’d advise you to drop out and go to your regular high school RIGHT now. But, if you think you can cope with sleepless nights and crazy teachers, then you’re definitely in for a good time.

Another piece of advice I would give you is not to procrastinate – but seeing as how you’ve made it into IB, you probably already have a history of doing so. My advice to you then is just to try and manage your procrastination, and not leave large or important projects to do until the last minute (e.g. Extended Essays, portfolios, English journal questions, World Lit. papers, etc.) And however much fun it may be, DO NOT go on your MySpace for hours upon hours while trying to do your homework — it’s just a waste of time (and I say this as I log onto mine to check my comments.) The bottom line is pretty simple – don’t procrastinate if you don’t want sleepless nights and crappy grades for whatever it is that you delayed working on.

Perhaps the most important advice though, is this – try to get along with your classmates. As Dr. Vetter will tell (or has already told) you, your class is like your family. So although you siblings may have some disagreements, you guys need to try and be supportive and friendly with one another, because like it or not, you’re going to be spending the next four years with each other. Having a great group of friends to hang out with is definitely a necessity – they’re like the ray of sunshine in your otherwise bleak IB existence. Oh, and that rumor you hear about not having a social life in IB? Definitely NOT true. I have plenty of friends (in IB, at BHS, and many other places) with whom I spend ample amounts of time with — I’ve been shopping, to the movies, to youth group, on road trips, and hundreds of other places with my friends. All in all, just keep a good group of friends, and you’ll manage to get through IB at least half sane. J

Ok, so I know you all want a heads up on your teachers. I don’t know about some of them, since some of my teachers have left since teaching me. You’ll have a lot of different freshman teachers than I did, but a few are still the same. You will definitely like Mrs. Patton (American Gov’t and Economics) — she is a sweet lady — almost like a grandma. But don’t make her too angry. Mrs. Kennon (Biology) — she’ll try to intimidate you, but really, she’s a nice woman if you decide to take her class junior and senior year. Oh, and Mrs. Longworth’s class (Earth & Space Science)? It’s pretty much a joke. Sophomore year you’ll have Hardee (English), Rhoden (World History), Nakamura (Algebra II), andmaybe Mrs. Bond (but I think she’s leaving soon). Watch out with essays in Hardee’s class – she grades them tough. Rhoden is a crazy old man, but he’s sweet. Mr. Nakamura (aka Naki) is an awesome math teacher, and he tells good stories to boot. Mrs. Bond is the Chemistry teacher, and to tell you the truth, she scared me when I took her class. Junior year you’ll have Smith (English), Goss (American History), Frisbie, and Guice. Mrs. Smith is an eccentric Southern belle, but she is so sweet. If she’s still teaching Southern Lit, you should definitely take it. Goss – well, he’s Goss. Very conservative, and loves calling people Pinko-Commie pigs and scumbuckets. Oh, and if you don’t watch, he’ll burn your house down. Frisbie, well, she’s just about the best Trigonometry teacher you’ll have, and she’s hilariously sarcastic sometimes. (She’ll also give you candy if you catch five of her mistakes in a week!) Mr. Guice is the teacher who took over for Mr. Keers (may he R.I.P. L), and he’ll be your TOK (Theory of Knowledge) teacher. He’s a cool guy so far, and has tried hard to fill Mr. Keers HUGE shoes. Probably by the time you’re a junior, he’ll be better used to teaching TOK. Senior year you’ll have Delk, Frisbie, Guice, and Shuff. Honestly, just try and bear with Mrs. Delk’s English class — she has good intentions, but she’s crazy. You’ll have Frisbie again, but this time for Calculus, which can be hard at times if you’re not a math whiz. Guice’ll be your TOK teacher again, and he’ll help you with your EE and TOK essay. In Shuff’s class (History of the Americas), be prepared to take pages of notes a day (about pointless Latin American leaders that you’ll never need to know about again in your life). Bringing a laptop to his class is helpful — trust me. There’s plenty more information I could tell you about your teachers, but that would ruin all the fun of actually going through IB on your own!

I hope my advice to you was helpful. I don’t want to come back to IB in a year or two and see the entire freshmen class doing poorly, so you better live up to your reputations as IB students (no pressure)!

Good luck to you all!

Lauren Bedford

 

Hello upcoming freshmen!

So I’m not gonna lie to you. IB is pretty hard. And there are times when you ask yourself, “Why am I putting myself through this?” But I am here to tell you that looking back, all the work has been worth it.  I have a few words of advice for you: try not to procrastinate, get involved, and make friends.

First of all, try your very hardest not to procrastinate.  Procrastination is pretty much the bane of all IB students’ existences… and yet we continue to procrastinate on almost every assignment.  You would think that I would have learned better after three and a half years, but the truth is, I procrastinate too. If you can break this chain of IB procrastination, you will seriously be thankful in the end.  The hardest class in ninth grade IB is without a doubt Biology, so if nothing else, do your Biology work that is due Friday before Thursday night.  Because believe it or not, some assignments just aren’t designed to be finished in one night.  You’ll figure this out for sure, if not in ninth grade, than in eleventh grade with English journal questions, math portfolios, biology labs, and the like… but that’s enough, I don’t want to scare you away before you have even started….

You should really try to get involved while you are in ninth grade.  If you join clubs now, then you will be well known in them and you will have a better chance of being an officer in eleventh or twelfth grade.  Get started on community service hours, because you will have much less free time in junior and senior year.  If you want to get a cord at graduation for 250 community service hours, the time to start is now. Join sports teams or clubs that interest you, as they teach you how to manage your time wisely.  Trust me, time management is essential in the junior and senior years of IB.  Just be careful not to get too involved, as that was my problem in ninth grade.  I was on the swim team and in band, two activities that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It became a problem, however, because I had to go to swim practice from 3-5 pm, grab some fast food, go to band practice from 6-8 pm, get home at 8:30 to start my homework, then jump on the bus at 5:30 am… not fun.  I had to quit something, and it wasn’t easy.  IB sometimes means that you will have to make sacrifices.  I quit band and I still had the time to be active with the swim team… I was the team captain this year.

If you get nothing else from this letter, please be sure to make friends in IB.  I’m not talking about a bunch of acquaintances who are fun to be with but don’t know you very well. I’m referring to true friendships that will last a lifetime.  Face it, at IB you’re going to be surrounded by the same fifty people for four years… you’re gonna get to know them pretty well.  And while I can assure you that there will be a few—or more than a few—people that annoy you, there will be some people that will make coming to school worthwhile.  You need friends like these to keep you grounded when the work keeps coming at you.  Hang out on the weekends, have “study parties” where no studying gets done, and just get to know them.  If I had gotten nothing else out of the IB program—which I assure you, I have—I found two best friends in Jackie and Mawi, and they make the whole experience worth it.

I wish you the best of luck as you embark on the journey that we know as IB.  I know you’re probably excited, but just know that there are challenges laying ahead of you.  And I wouldn’t trade places with you and be back in ninth grade for anything, even a million dollars.  Just be assured that one day, three and a half years from now (it’s not as far away as it seems), you’ll be where I am now… a semester away from graduation.  And you’ll look back and be glad that your parents forced you to go to IB.

Best wishes for your freshman year,

Katie Kaminski

 

Advice for future people

To bestow the wisdom of an IB senior – somebody who has been through the world’s worth of stress, has gritted her teeth and kept trudging along against the torrent of  homework, and somehow managed to pull a satisfying (according to Dr. Vetter’s standards) grade – on a fresh freshman would be a rather pointless exercise. Everybody knows that no matter how many times our parents tell us not to procrastinate, we will still wait until the last possible moment to finish our homework. Thus, even though I am writing this essay in your best interest (and mine, because it is for a grade) you will probably ignore my advice and discover the IB truths on your own. This fact of life, however, will not deter me from telling you of the idiosyncrasies of the teachers that you will eventually have, of the fabled Ladies of Lunch, or of the famed Club Run.

During your IB experience, you will live behind heavy eyelids. Otherwise, you may occasionally see your friends, and even your classroom, but if you’re lucky, you will get to see the rare specimen of humanity dubbed the “IB teacher.” The rarity of IB teachers, however, makes them quite special. Thus, in order to attract one, you should complete all of your homework and turn it in on time. IB teachers are fond of punctuality, and if you’d like to collect extra brownie points, you will not turn in anything that cannot be read with the naked eye. Recently, however, naturalists have discovered two new species in this year alone: “Mr. Guice” and “Mr. Webb.” The Mr. Guice variety, or formally known as “Vanilla Guice,” is often observed hunched over essays with grading pen in hand. He is also seen observing “Pink Shirt Tuesdays,” on which he faithfully wears a pink shirt. The Mr. Webb, on the other hand, does not wear pink shirts. In fact, one could say that Guice’s trendy pink shirt is inversely proportional to Webb’s fashion sense. The Webb species focuses more on physics and astronomy, often referring to the most recent shuttle launch or the price of his most recent telescope. Nevertheless, these new IB teachers also appear to be pleased by legible handwriting and timely papers.

Besides the IB teachers, you must be prepared to face the Ladies of Lunch in the Bartow High lunchroom. Rumor had it that these fantastical Ladies enjoy listening to music; so, I decided to find out for myself. On one of my various trips to their mystical land, I did indeed discover that the Lunch Ladies jive to loud 80s music, and often make our lunch with a precise system, which is often dictated by the tempo of the music. Boy, to see those french-fries being shoveled out to the beat of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” – that’s a sight worth seeing. I even discovered that the Lunch Ladies harbor a Lunch Man, who also participates in the ritualistic dances. Whether they be male or female, if you are ever lacking in money for lunch, you should talk to the Lady of the Cash Register. The Lunch Ladies, as charitable creatures, collect spare change so that, if you happen to require a few cents, the Lady of the Cash Register will gracefully open her safe and donate to you the amount that you need. Under the rule of the Ladies of Lunch, not a student will go hungry at Bartow High.

Last, but definitely not least, is the annual Club Run. Club Run (usually known as Club Rush) often occurs in August or September and is characterized by a stampede of students through the courtyard. The Club Run is an interesting spectacle as club presidents hold enticing offers as they try to attract the wild students to their tables. Every table contains a sign-up sheet and a President who will tell you tales of their past dealings with the Bartow High populace. The majority of clubs only show their wares during First Lunch, therefore those of you who are freshmen may not see all of the sights of the Club Run; however, you should sign up for what you can, and always listen to the morning announcements and YJP. Many clubs will provide ways for you to join outside of school hours, usually by participating in an after-school activity. Once you sign up, though, I highly recommend that you carry out your commitment. There are many, many clubs on campus, and each is vying for your attention, but you must not make a commitment that you cannot keep. This will anger the Presidents, who will call on their high powers to bring ruin to you, usually in the form of the dreaded Probation Letter. But, as long as you keep your contract to every club that you sign up for, you should enjoy participating in the various service projects and activities around campus.

Despite the fact that you will probably not heed my advice about the IB teachers, Ladies of Lunch, or Club Run, you probably did use my essay to procrastinate facing some horrible assignment that your math teacher so cruelly assigned; and thus my efforts have not gone to waste. “And with it,” I bid you good luck and good riddance — because I’m going to college, baby.

Raihan Duzan

 

Dear upcoming IB kids,

First, I congratulate you on making it far enough to see this letter. As a senior who has almost survived the IB program here, I have a bit of advice for you on the prompting of Ms. Frisbie. To begin, I hope that all of you are here because you want to be. I understand that parents can be a tad overbearing when it comes to the IB school, but you should really be in this program because you want to be. Because, if you aren’t doing this for yourself, not only are you going to be utterly miserable for four years, you are not going to get anything out of your experience here. The great thing about IB is that it will introduce you to a lot of new people and you will be prepared for college (at least, that’s what they tell me, I’m not there yet, but that has been some of my only inspiration during some of the rough days here). But, seriously, if you don’t want to be here, you are going to hate life. IB is no picnic; true, we have our fun, but you have to be dedicated to good work. The teachers here are pretty fantastic and are going to help you as much as they can, but you have to work up to their expectations. They will give you support and understanding if you show them that you can be responsible and still get your work done. So, if you are willing to work hard and are here by your own volition, you will be just fine.

If you already see purpose in the IB program, then I can advise you on both courses and how to deal with the stress (which will inevitably hit you over the head with a baseball bat). As far as courses go, the only ones you get much choice in are foreign language, science, and math. Since you are reading this, you are already an IB student, which means that you have made your language choice, which means my opinion is totally worthless. All I can say is that I hope you chose wisely, as the foreign languages usually become the focus of the majority of the aggressive behavior amongst IB kids, so it’s really a no win situation because learning a new language is quite frustrating. As far as the sciences go, I can’t speak for Physics or Chemistry because the two teachers that taught it when I took the courses in 10th grade are no longer teaching here. So, if Mrs. Kennon is still the Biology teacher when you read this (which she should be because she has mentioned nothing to me about retirement), I recommend Biology, even if you suck at it. Mrs. Kennon is a fabulous teacher, and she will look out for you on both your grades and your personal life. Freshman year with her is rough because she asks for the absolute best, and even then it might not be good enough, but it is worth it to stick with her. Trust me. And math, naturally, I would tell you to choose Ms. Frisbie, not only because I am writing this essay for her and want a good grade on it, but also because she is an awesome math teacher. The thought of taking Calculus in college was not a friendly one, and I haven’t once regretted my choice. Unless you have no faith in your skills in math, or you fear portfolios (I admit, those are lengthy and time consuming), I totally recommend taking Trig and Calculus.

Finally, you are going to need to be able to deal with the stress that IB will add to your life. It’s stressful enough to be a teenager with the pressures from parents to go to college, and friends and what not, but add a huge workload and someday you will wonder why the heck you are here. That’s where having an awesome group of friends comes in. I don’t care what else you do in this program, you have to have at least two (but I think you should be friends with everyone in your class because at some point you will need them) reliable friends who will be there for you when it seems like your life is falling apart and lacking purpose and that there is no way you will finish all your work before it is due. Also, make sure to take a few mental health days every now and then. Do whatever you have to do to convince your parents that you merit a day off: trust me, you do. Sometimes you just need some time to yourself to relax, even if it just means sleeping in till 10:00am. You will always feel loads better after a mental health day. The last thing you are going to want to do is get your license as soon as possible. Having a car is not only useful when you need to travel around to do CAS hours or go to school to work on papers, but it’s a little bit of freedom to drive around, which always feels nice. Even if you are just running up to Staples for more printer ink and note-cards, doing it by yourself, in your car, is way more fun and stress-relieving than asking your parents to take you. Don’t worry about failing your test or sucking at driving either; we all suck at driving when we start, and it will get better. Just do it, ok?

I hope this letter/essay/thing has been a tad bit helpful in some way; either in convincing you to stay with IB or has giving you some hints to making it to where I am now. While I have had moments why I wondered why I was putting up with the “rigorous courseload” as Dr. Vetter calls it, I haven’t regretted staying yet. Peace.

Katy Burke

 

Dear silly freshman,

As a senior in IB with only one semester of this accursed place, I have some advise that might come in handy for you. The first and foremost piece of advice I can give you, although I know you will not follow, is get out while you still can. If you choose to ignore that piece of advice, my next bit of wisdom is not to procrastinate. If you do not know what procrastinating means or do not do it already, do not start and do not make it your friend. Also, learn your teachers and learn how to lie.

I strongly advise you to save yourself from this hell. It is completely understandable if you are here because of your parents and they will not let you drop out. If given the choice however, take it. Do not just take it, lunge for it; grasp at it like a strangled monkey grasps for a breath of air to keep it from dying. You might think such things as ‘IB will help me get into college’, and ‘if I get my IB diploma I can do anything I want!’ This thinking is a load of bullocks. This year, most of the extremely academic seniors applied to Yale. They all got deferred, save the black man who thanked God for affirmative action. Four years of IB and they did not even get accepted into the college of their choice. Not just four years of IB, four years of HELL, utter, and complete hell. If you stay here, you will know desolation and despair, as you have never known it before. You will truly know what it is like to be completely physically and mentally exhausted, and have no reprieve. Additionally, I believe that I am a good student. I have made mostly A’s throughout all of high school. My best friend has as well. I am seventeenth in my class I believe. I also have no confidence that I will even get my IB diploma. In fact, my best friend and I are pretty sure that we will not. Yet we have busted our butts for it, and will study like mad for it. I will kill myself trying to attain something that will probably slip through my grasp. It is so frustrating. Even if I do receive my IB diploma, to what end? I will not find out until college is almost starting. I will already be accepted into wherever I choose to attend! All that I will have to show for all of my efforts here at IB is an ugly little piece of paper that my parents will frame. Does that sound like it is worth it to you? If it is, by all means, continue with this program. If it does not, just leave now.

Procrastinating will appear to be your friend. It will lull you into its seductive grasp and you will be comforted for it will let you have all sorts of fun. That is, until the night before a big assignment is due. Then it will stab you in the back, as most friends do at some point or another. With most friends though, backstabbing is a one-time occurrence. With procrastinating, the knife never leaves your back. Procrastinating will shove its foot so far up your anus, that it is spewing all sorts of nasty bile out of your mouth and all over your homework. This will manifest itself in the RED INK that will be prominent on every single one of your homework assignments. Waiting until the last possible minute will feel good until you actually have to do the assignment. I suggest that you “Just do it!” as Nike, and Mrs. Delk say. Get it over with, be done with it, and move on. I suggest this, because if you start procrastinating, you will never, ever stop. Procrastinating is comparable to smoking cigarettes; no matter how badly you want to quit, and how hard you try to, you cannot. You will die a slow, inevitable, painful death by procrastinating cancer. Furthermore, this procrastination we speak of is an infectious disease, if you start, your friends will as well. If you do not care about your well-being and your life, then at least think of your dear beloved friends. Go ahead and kill them by procrastinating and thus sending them on the spiral down into the fiery abyss. Or, save them by saving yourself. The choice is entirely up to you, but if I were you, I would choose the latter.

As for my last point, it is most crucial. You need to learn whom you are up against, and how to deceive them. I must interject that by knowing how to deceive them, I mean knowing how to deceive them well, or properly if you rather. My dog ate my homework is not a valid excuse; if you use it, you are stupid. Let us breach the subject of lying outright. First and foremost, your lies have to be plausible. Many times, a student will forget an assignment at home. I myself have done this when rushing in the morning. I usually end up begging my teacher, trying to evoke some pathos, so that they will allow me to turn it in first thing the next morning. People I know however, use this as an excellent lie. Excellent, because they did not actually do the assignment and because it is plausible as every student truthfully does it at some point or another. I do not recommend making up deaths in the family. I.B. is a small school, and rather personal. Someone will call your house and your parents will find out that you have a dead Aunt Mildred. Then, Dr. Vetter will not be happy at all. The man has guns for arms; you do not want to cross him. As for learning your teachers, by this I mean learn what you can get away with, and learn whom you can lie to. You will find, coming through I.B. that some of your teachers are morons plain and simple. Use them, abuse them, and do not feel bad. If a teacher is stupid enough to let a teenager walk all over them, by all means use that to your advantage. Granted, when I have done this, I feel bad. However, it allows me to get homework for classes with stricter teachers done that, had I committed to doing an assignment I could have turned in late, I would not have completed. Note that when I say lie to your teachers, do it with the utmost caution and use your lying powers wisely. If you can get an assignment done, do it. If it is impossible because you have an infinite amount of work in other classes and four tests the next day, hello opportunity let me shake your hand. Honesty usually is the best policy though unless you are dealing with the teachers that have no sympathy and believe their class is the only one that really matters and truly exists. Whatever you do, do not get caught in a lie, and if you are stupid enough to get caught, do not lie to get out of it. Excessive lying to a single teacher is also an idiot move to make. Teachers will not keep believing whatever lame excuse you make up. Lie with integrity, and only when you are desperate.

So, my dear little freshman, in my closing remarks I must say, escape now before you have started. Run for your life in the opposite direction, even if there is a cliff that awaits you. Do not enter the world of misery and suffering that awaits you because it is not pleasant in the least bit. However, if you are forced to entertain this dance with the devil, do so defiantly. Do not get caught in the schemes and traps the devil has laid for you. Do not stumble in the darkness and wait for someone to pull you up; no one will save you. Hit everything as it comes with a sledgehammer and hope that each time you hit, whatever you have slain will not come back to life and manifest itself in another aspect of your wretched life. Good luck, and we shall meet again in hell.

Adri Eaton

 

Ohh… Freshman…

*sigh* The first thing I would like to warn you is to avoid the Summerlin Kids. They first take over your buses, and then they take over the school…what’s next? THE VETTER VIPER?? Yeah, so anyways, next is DON’T DRINK THE WATER, unless necessary. It is usually yellow, and some think it is actually urine. Oh and another thing is, watch out for those drug tests. Make sure that you have enough to drink. It kind of sucks that I had to wait after school to go to drug court just to “pee in a cup.” Make friends with the upper classmen. They shall become very useful when it comes to major projects and finding your way around campus.

Now to learn a few tips about the teachers:

Mr. Shuff, he is a very predictable man. In his class all you do is take notes, take tests, and turn in essays every two weeks. During his lecture, before he is about to say something humorous, he pauses, waits for the right moment… and then says the funny joke. Unfortunately, he only has about five main ones. I guess next I shall tell you about is Mr. Rhoden. He is, how do you put it, smart board illiterate? And I hear that if you wear low-cut shirts (and you’re a girl) you can make an A in his class. Unfortunately I don’t think this is true. I have worn shirts like that and I have a B. Also, he tends to make sexual connotative jokes. Watch out! Ahh… Mrs. Bond. She’s a wonderful teacher. I love her in chemistry. They say that she writes “adult novels” but of course… we are too young to read them. I would just like to quote her, “I won’t kill you; I will just maim you slightly.” And hence this is why I am taking chemistry as my IB science. Finally, Mrs. Hardee. (by the way I am only writing about my sophomore year teachers.) Mrs. Hardee as many students say is a feminist. I can’t really say anything against that, because well I am a girl. In my English class there is only one boy, and frankly I don’t think that she hates him. I find that her fifth period class, which is mostly an all guy class, makes her hysterical.

Alright, in order to get through IB, I would highly recommend having many friends; even friends with benefits, here referring to people that can help you with homework. They get you through the occasional mental breakdowns, the laughs, and the ugly. Most of my social life keeps me going to school, and I believe the more you enjoy life, the more fun you will have. High school is supposed to be the time of your life. Live it to the fullest freshies! Oh and appreciate summer school. A summer without summer school is like going to France and not going to see the Eiffel tower. (haha I am a Frenchie, too!)

Caitlyn Soriano

 

To the incoming freshmen:

After putting myself through three and a half years of torture, I would like to think that I have gained some knowledge about the IB program. When I truly think about it, IB has been a great experience, but it definitely helps to have some prior knowledge about the whole shenanigan before you actually begin.  Anyway, here I sit, slaving over the computer just as I have many times before, and I’m prepared to create for your reading pleasure The IB Survival Guide.  I’m going to assume that you have the ability to read my advice; after all, you’re not in the IB program for nothing.  What I’m desperately hoping is that at least one of you will have enough of a brain to listen to what I have to say and follow the advice that I am about to share.  Should you be one of the few that actually listens and manages to avoid procrastination, you will find that you can make it through the IB program with fewer struggles than any other IBer before you.

The IB Survival Class (From The Class Of ‘07 Point Of View)

Freshman Year:

Overall, there is no reason to have a huge panic attack in your freshman year of IB.  (As a quick side note, I’d like to point out that if you dohave a panic attack this year, you may want to seriously consider just dropping the program as soon as possible.)  Freshman classes are probably the easiest of them all.  Think about it: you have your foreign language (2nd year, mind you), American Government, Science, Math, and a few other miscellaneous subjects.  My advice to you during freshman year?  Definitely explore the clubs on campus, and be open to new ideas.  Introduce yourself to new people, because you have no idea how quickly your high school years fly.  Just be sure to do as much as you can, and enjoy it — it’s your first year of high school!

Sophomore Year:

Out of all of the high school years, sophomore year really isn’t a terrible catastrophe waiting to happen.  The sophomore year of IB was memorable for me.  There aren’t very many changes from freshman year to sophomore year: you have new teachers, you’re still exploring clubs and activities, and you’re still allowing yourself to become acquainted with other classmates.  Although there aren’t very many differences between the two years, there is one piece of advice that I’d like to share with all to be IB sophomores: DO NOT JOIN AP EUROPEAN HISTORY JUST BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE DOES.  I’m one of the few (smarter) ones that chose not to take this as my elective in sophomore year, and I have absolutely no regrets.  I only recommend this elective if you plan to become a history teacher or if you plan to pursue a career in any history related field; otherwise, you’re only setting yourself up for notes, notes, and something else that I’m forgetting… oh yeah!  MORE NOTES!  I didn’t miss anything by not taking this elective.  If anything, I saved my right hand.  My final note on sophomore year: do not drop IB.  This is, unfortunately, the point in time in which you will lose a great chunk of your class.  Just remember, as the wise Bon Jovi once sang: “Whoa, we’re halfway there. Whoa! Livin’ on a prayer!”  In other words, don’t give it up.

Junior Year:

Congratulations!  You successfully made it to your first real IB year.  It all just goes downhill from here… but it’s totally worth it.  By this time, I’m hoping that you’re realized that you don’t have to introduce yourself to everybody; you’re all like family anyway.  It doesn’t matter whether you’ve talked to John once since freshman year or fifty times since freshman year.  If you ever need something, John will be there for you, simply because you are a family.  Junior year is not as stressful as it’s made out to be.  I definitely caution all upcoming Juniors to refrain from the IB disease: procrastination.  Do everything in your power to keep yourself under control in such situations; do not allow procrastination to control you.  Trust me, when English journal questions arrive, you will be so thankful if you listen to me.  Granted, you aren’t going to follow my precise instructions, but hey — it’s you who’s losing sleep, not me!  On another note, definitely consider your CAS hours from the beginning.  Plan to get at least half done during your junior year, and do not stop there if you can help it.  You will be thankful in senior year.

Senior Year:

ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!  Spending time with friends is a great way to keep your sanity during senior year.  Just keep in mind that you are not the only one who is stressed; every other one of your IB family members is experiencing the same things as you.  All of you are applying to college, all of you are enduring Latin American History, all of you are preparing for graduation… the list goes on and on.  Keep your friends close, and treasure the memories from this year the most.  (As a side note, I’d like to say that all of the advice that I have previously given still applies.)

I hope that you take my advice to heart.  Should you chose to take the foolish route and ignore me (which, quite obviously, is the route chosen by many), you will be yet another true IBer, and you will be proud of it.  Best of luck during your IB experience – it’s one of the best you’ll ever have.

Marissa Coake

 

Dear Incoming Freshmen:

So far in this program I am not sure if coming to IB was the right idea for me or not. It has been very hard during these four years, trying to keep up with all my classes, and with everyone else in the program and always wondering if I would of been be better at another school; however, I don’t fully regret my choice and my advice to you is something I wish someone would have told me before I made my choice. Once in this program many people will tell you that should not procrastinate. I’m not going to do so, because I know you will, so what is the point. You should realize that sleep is more important no matter what and get as much as you can now because there will be many nights in which you will get none. Also know that there  will be many other students who are better than you in your classes, and that you are going to need them to get  through IB,  so don’t waste your strength in keeping your straight A’s, get over it, most people do not end IB with all A’s.

For the few of you who will take French, enjoy Monsieur Lenker while you have him, you will miss him so much once you go into junior year because Mrs. Dietert is the completely opposite. French after sophomore year is one of the few classes in which you will be able to catch up in your sleep, I’m not suggesting it of course, but it is one of the classes that you really won’t miss much in as long as you do your homework.

Now for History, just know that Mrs. Patton is amazing and a very nice lady, her class can be boring but you will miss it after freshmen year is over. Mr. Rhoden’s class is much fun because it seems that he has a small memory loss and forgets exactly in which year famous events occurred around the world, take advantage of that. Mr. Goss is an amazing guy as long as you don’t go against his views, he really cares for his students and will try to help you out as long as you care about his class and listen to what he has to say. Mr. Shuff’s class is really hard and be prepared to write or to type until your hands fall off, because that’s all you do in there. His tests are the worst thing you will ever experience but the extra credit questions can help you more than you believe, as long as you guys are not stupid enough to lose it by not knowing how to cheat.

In the math department, you will love your teachers no matter which area of study you choose. Mr. Nakamura and Ms. Frisbie are the smartest people I know and they are both geniuses when it comes to math.  It is true that my math grade has deteriorated since my junior year but I never regret taking Trigonometry and Calculus because Ms. Frisbie is always willing to help as long as you are not afraid of asking her or feeling somewhat stupid. Also take advantage of Mrs. Frisbie’s knowledge about everything and anything because it will help you in many other areas in the program, she is amazing and knows almost everything there is to know.

Your freshman year of science will be interesting; you will have two very different teachers: Mrs. Longworth is very unreliable and you rarely do work in her class, we watched lots of movies when we had her. Mrs. Kennon, in the other hand is extremely moody and you do lots of work in her class. She can be lots of fun, but watch out, don’t turn in anything late, or complain to her about the amount of work you have in her class, it is not a good idea. Mrs. Bond is an amazing teacher with a great sense of “dry” humor, too bad none of you get will get to meet her, she is retiring this year.  I will give you a warning, be really careful when you choose your science in junior year, make sure is something you are passionate about and that it will help you in the future, that way you don’t waste your time.

English isn’t too bad. We had a different freshman teacher and Mrs. Hardee for sophomore teacher is the best of them all, in my opinion; Mrs. Smith is a little crazy, but you will learn to appreciate her after junior year and Mrs. Delk is very understanding of the senior IB situation but know now that it is either her way or no way at all.  Have fun with TOK. It’s a great way to relax from the other classes and discuss things you never really thought of before; I think you will love Mr. Guice. He is one of the most understanding teachers we have, I really think that most of us see him as more than a teacher, he is a good friend.

To finish this all, remember to find something that will keep you going  and always look forward to what is to come after this small hell you will go through, and most important of all don’t forget to enjoy your life and don’t become sucked in the life of an IB student.

Johana Rendon

 

 

Dear Freshmen,

And your journey begins… You have just enrolled into one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, high school programs in Florida, and you probably have hundreds of questions. And trust me every Senior will not hesitate to share his own advice on how to survive the sleepless nights and constant work flow. With no doubt, you will be advised to not procrastinate, to stay focused on the benefits of IB, and to form a strong support system. Unfortunately, I can only give you one piece of advice; probably if I listened to my advice more often the hard times would have been easier, but I do know that when I did follow my own advice I was able to survive just one more day. If nothing at all always remember to enjoy life.

Believe me, there will be many times where you find yourself wanting to just give up—it would be so simple. But it is always important to step back and realize that there are so many more important things out there besides the math test you are studying for or the biology worksheet you are trying to finish. The appreciation of the world that lies beyond the walls of the classroom is what gave me the strength and the drive to keep working. At IB, it is so easy for the program to become your number one priority—trying to climb the steep hill towards Top Ten, keeping an ‘A’ in Shuff’s History class, etc. For this reason, it is of utmost importance to find a balance between work and play. The smartest decision I ever made while at IB was to promise myself that I would never allow school work to get in the way of my time spent with my family. You have to remember that school will always be there—the homework, the teachers, the tests—but you will never gain back the memories that you make with your family at a Christmas Party or just hanging around the house in front of the television. Even if it is not your family, you have to find something besides school that will make you happy—whether it is time spent with your friends, on the soccer field, or in the pages of a book.

If you do not think that there will come a point where you will question your enrollment in the IB Program, think again; everyone does. It is at these times mostly that it is very important that you turn to what you love—your family, your friends, your passion. Grasp the reality of life and do not let everything that is important to you pass by. You will never be able to recreate the memories of tomorrow, so do not waste the todays. Remember to keep close everything in the world that matters to you and do not let it get lost amongst the papers in your backpack.

Your Fellow IBer,

Courtney Sela 

Dear Freshman,

There are three laws of IB that I have developed if you want to be successful here. They are not particularly difficult to abide by and will guarantee you mental and emotional happiness in terms of the confines of high school. Laws is a misnomer though, these have not been proven yet. We shall instead call them “David’s Theorem.”

Firstly, you have to want to be here. You or your parents have undoubtedly been made aware of the enormous help taking IB classes is in terms of general knowledge and preparation for college. The huge amount of credits, preparation for AP exams, etc…. However, unless you want to do this and believe in what you are doing there will be one of two possible negative outcomes. 1) Your parents will make you keep working hard here when you do not want to, creating friction at home. 2) You will stay here without caring too much, your grades will suffer, and you won’t achieve at a high level. Find a reason, any reason really, for you personally to do this. Love of learning. Future economic investment. Whatever. Just not, “My father and mother want me to have the best education possible.” That will not get you through.

Secondly, live! This is high school after all. Go to the football games. Go to the dances. Enjoy this campus and the many good people who live in and around Bartow. The CAS component of IB is to get you out of the books and into reality. The importance of education is undeniable but different people flourish differently. Bill Gates’ degrees are all honorary. Play a sport, and start early. Talk to people in classes. Make everyone feel welcome. In IB and upper echelon classes, such as AP and honors a camaraderie tends to develop. You are all in this together. That does not mean collude, it does mean encourage one another.

Finally, find your niche. A high caliber academic student is not necessarily what elite colleges want. Find a passion, anything. Be a brilliant writer. An astonishing playwright. A brutal soccer player. Unrestricted imaginative artist. Find something you like and work at it. It will give you joy and happiness. Besides that, colleges like to see passion because you could transfer your abilities to their institution. Work hard so you can play harder!

Best of luck,

David Schell

 

 

As a senior in the IB program, there should be a lot of advice for me to offer to underclassmen and to freshman entering this prestigious school; however, I’m not entirely sure what the most important suggestions would be yet I’ll try to give the best guidance possible. Foremost, as a freshman one should surely make an effort to meet and develop friendly relationships with as many classmates as possible — as you will spend 4 years with most of these people, doing projects, hanging out, or just spending the majority of your high school classes with them.  In your first semester, take the time to learn about the high school experience and decide what clubs, sports, or activities you would like to participate in.  Personally, I have played a sport every season since 9th grade — which some would say is very difficult and time consuming — but I don’t know any different, so that level of stress is normal to me and I have learned to cope with it (and fairly successfully I might add).  Basically, get your feet wet by exploring your options in this new environment but don’t take on too much responsibility and commitment too early.  Oh, and study hard, your first year is the first step to building your GPA, class rank, and eventually your college resume.

The primary pitfall of the IB student is procrastination.  It’s virtually inevitable for probably 80% of the class on any given assignment or project.  I’ll admit that I’m one of that large majority of students who must, at all cost, wait until I’m under as much duress as possible before I begin an assignment.  As you enter IB, make a concerted effort to set a schedule for yourself where you’ll work on homework for at least an hour or so a day, no matter if anything is due the next day or not.  Always plan ahead on projects so you’re not stressed out the night before its due; many times in your junior and senior years your projects contribute towards your IB grade so you don’t want to put forth a weak effort.  Also avoid getting in with a group of friends who are lazy and don’t usually care about being efficient with their time or their workload, as this can rub off on you too.

Your English, math, and science classes are your higher level classes so make sure that you work hard and pay the most attention in these areas.   Always strive to study hard and perform well in these classes because they could help you get the extra points needed for your IB diploma.  Also, if you don’t absolutely not understand biology (like me) you should definitely take biology as your higher level science. With Mrs. Bond leaving and Mr. Webb new to physics, biology is your best choice for performing well on the IB exam.  Also, put forth a strong effort in your foreign language class because many of my classmates have struggled with Spanish or French.  The basics are very important because you’ll need to have mastered them in order to move the fourth and fifth levels of your language.  If necessary, take easy electives so you can focus on your IB courses, it has helped many of my classmates.

That’s the best advice I could surmise from my IB experience.

Spencer Duhm

My experience here at IB has definitely gone by much faster than I thought it would. So fast it’s almost a blur, or maybe my memory has just significantly deteriorated. Either way, it feels like freshman year was just yesterday. Coming into the IB program following parental orders, I did not have high hopes, but, as in all facets of life, the good and the bad times awaited. I just had to hope the good outnumbered the bad, and they did. So, I definitely don’t regret going to IB (even though I may have said I did quite a few times) because apart from all that “big nasty stuff,” the people I’ve met here are pretty much amazing.

To someone just starting as a freshman, cherish your freshman and sophomore years. They are pre-IB, child’s play, and will be the easiest, most enjoyable, and most carefree years you will have here. When choosing a science for your last two years, be sure to keep the following in mind: pick biology if you happen to love it, don’t mind working, or want to pass your IB exam; pick physics if you don’t want to work, don’t mind learning it on your own right before the IB exam, or don’t mind failing the IB exam; and lastly pick chemistry if you… well, I don’t know really. There’s only like 7 kids in chemistry, and they don’t like to talk about it much…. Another important recommendation would be to eat breakfast because it’s just a healthy, normal thing to do and it may keep you awake at least a little more often at school. Anyways, the only other thing I’d like to say is that Starbucks Double Shots are awesome for all-nighters (*: or if you are just really, really dead in the morning.

As far as senior year goes, the subject most deserving of study, in my opinion, happens to also be the one of least importance. That subject would be History of the Americas with Mr. Shuff. I have to study my butt off to even get an 80, so if you are horrible at history like me, then good luck! I came to the conclusion that the amount of time it would take me to study for a good grade in this class wouldn’t be worth it because a) I have a very short attention span, b) it’d just make less time for subjects I actually have a chance to get an A in, and c) I just don’t care. Oh! And d) it’s way more fun to pass notes and draw caricatures of Mr. Shuff instead of taking notes.

So incoming freshman, don’t be scared, don’t freak out too much, don’t hate each other, and don’t make fun of my sub-par writing skills after 3.5 years of IB English! Just study once in a blue moon and you’ll pull through just fine.

Sarah Nikdel

 

After eighteen weeks as a pre-IB freshman, how are you holding up? I’m sure by now you’ve realized what exactly you’ve gotten yourself into—work, work, and some more work; and to be realistic, your workload will only grow larger and get more difficult.  However, all of it is manageable, and if you play your cards right, you can do very well.  Head this advice.

The most important thing to remember when trudging through thick stacks of homework, projects, and tests, is that you must stay on top of everything.  The moment you fall behind in one class—perhaps for a mental health day, procrastination, or a nasty bout with the flu—it is imperative that you catch back up with the rest of your class.  If you don’t, you will see your grades in other classes fall like a line of dominoes because you have to allocate math time for English time, or history time for French time, or science time for psychology time.  You catch my drift?  Procrastination might feel O-so-good to begin with, but in the end, you will feel O-so-awful.  Now I you know this, and you are saying well duh what kind of advice is that.  It’s beautiful advice my friend, and all I’m saying is that you need to make a point to stay on top of your work.  If you do, IB is easy-peezy, lemon-squeezy.

In addition to not procrastinating, you need to take it easy.  Kind of contradictory isn’t it?  Well, what I mean to say is that IB is really just a game, and once you figure out a happy medium to where you can complete all of your work but still have free time to do what healthy teenagers must do, you will master this game.  Again, easier said than done, but you must make an effort and continually keep yourself in check.  Too much work, and you will explode, literally.  Not enough work, and you will either explode (from trying to do everything at once) or be checking out (C’s and D’s start to hurt the pride). Once I felt that I had reached a healthy balance, IB never challenged me.  I did my homework at home and limited my social life on the weekdays whereas I worked the latter half of Sundays and kept my social life in full swing on the weekends.  Keep Friday nights and Saturdays free of work—that is key.  Oh, and one last thing, keep your spirits up.  No one likes a downer-Dave or sappy-Susan, and you will find that good mental health means good grades.

Calder Wilson

 

Dear Incoming Freshman,

Life as you know it is about to change dramatically for you, because you have now taken on the honor and responsibility that comes in joining the order of elite students that is the International Baccalaureate School at Bartow High School. You have succeeded in outscoring hundreds of other applicants and are now on your way to becoming a highly developed, ultra-intelligent, success-machine in your future life. The road will not be easy. Many perils await you in all of your classes, and as you age, and your level increases from 9 to 10 to 11 to 12, there are many more twists and turns and dangers, as the difficulty advances, also. I will give you the best advice I can to aid you in your journey, but the final decisions and work will be all your own, or else you will be disobeying our strict collusion and cheating codes.

The most important thing to remember and adhere to when dealing with work of this magnitude and a school of this prestige is that stress is not going to help in anything you do. Stressing will cloud your mind, it will destroy your train of thought, it will break you down mentally and physically, and can even make you sick. There have been nights where I’ve needed to stay up all night in order to finish a project or a paper, but rarely ever have I allowed myself to give in and stress, and when I do it is only for a short period of time before I get a hold of myself. To stress is to lose any chance of completing what you need to get done. I am revered for my ability to keep a cool head and get things done at the last minute, and if you’re lucky maybe one day you will be able to have the same things said about you.

Procrastination is a nasty habit that I like to call the IB disease. No one enjoys doing schoolwork, it is boring, it is tedious, and usually it is long, which means most of your night will be devoted to it. Due to this, many people choose to put off the homework until the night before it is due, or even the day it is due and then rush through it and turn it in. I have become a master of this art myself, though at times I have been burnt. It is best to avoid being sucked in to the disease if you can help it, but if not, be good at it, like me.

I bid you farewell and good luck, and remember no stress and procrastinate well!

Sincerely,

Chris Broadhead

 

As a senior approaching the last semester of IB, I must say that I would be able to write a more encouraging letter eighteen weeks ago. Whoever said that the second semester of Junior Year was the worst was very wrong. Still, IB has had by far more benefits than detriments, and I would certainly choose this program again if I were given a second shot. Also, perhaps these words of wisdom will stick with those who read it, and they can avoid a few pitfalls I have, well, fallen in to.

To begin, if you want to be successful in this program, you have got to keep up the optimism and avoid looking directly at the present whenever possible. Only by veering your sight slightly towards the future, whether it is to the weekend or the last day of Senior Year (ahhh the future), can you expect to come out of the program with no gray hairs or wrinkles (emotionally speaking). Regardless, you should expect your share of being completely overwhelmed, outbursts of sobs, and unexpected anger expressed towards those they never expected to treat that way. All of these things will kick your butts when they happen, but assignments will be completed, tissues are on the counter, and apologies are easily accepted by those who love you. There is a warning to the looking toward the future bit: don’t look too far. If responsibility gets away from you, the result is forced “IB Sick Days” in order to catch up, which lead to more sick days to catch up… and the cycle continues. Just do as much of the work on time as possible, because no matter how simple it sounds to say “I’ll have plenty of time to do that tomorrow,” tomorrow only brings more work. Take advantage of at least some of your weekend to catch up, but don’t lock yourself up for too many hours too many days on end. And now for the specifics that I regard as most important.

•  Study History and Science as much as possible: these courses will demand upon you more reading and more need to actually understand the material (rather than simply memorizing) than the others. Especially with Science, you need to carry over your knowledge year to year. It’s a 3 year course, not 3 courses.
•  Do journal questions and take orals seriously: journal questions take forever if you do them all at once, and orals, as they are nearly the only IB work you will do as a junior, seem insignificant… but if you screw up your World Literature Essays, you’ll want to know that 30% of your IB English grade is safe.
• Study Language, even if it doesn’t seem to be required: I know, the teacher doesn’t make you learn anything. But there are still IB and AP tests coming up, and like I am now, you’ll find yourself quite screwed if you don’t know a pronoun from the subjunctive.

Finally, IB is not just homework and school days that seem too long to possibly be efficient. Have a life. Play sports, be in the band, be in a Youth Group or Youth Government, be a leader. Go out on Saturday nights, make friends with your fellow IBers, fall in love, go for a jog, play games with your parents, play fetch with Fido, anything, but don’t just do homework. You’ll want to know what the outdoors looks like when you go to college and have more free time than you do now. Don’t forget those things like family and bubble baths (or baseball games, whichever you prefer) because those last beyond high school and IB. You are a kid, not a computer, and your days playing in the rain don’t belong on a flash drive locked away in a desk drawer.

Jennifer Dowd

 

Dear freshman,

My name is Erin and I’m a senior in the IB program at Bartow. I remember when I was just starting out in the program as you are now. If you’re anything like me, the middle school was a breeze and studying was never needed. When I came to IB, I heard rumors of struggling students and sleepless nights. I’m sure you, too, have heard them. Sadly, most of them are true. However, I have found that such difficulties can all be prevented, I just found out a little too late. Therefore, I am writing you this letter as a precaution, and I can only hope you are not stubborn as I am and that you will not have to learn the hard way.

Freshman and sophomore years showed me very little difficulty. I procrastinated and rarely studied, but yet I was able to get by with good grades. Then, I entered the actual IB my junior year and everything changed. I realized I could no longer go without studying, and that homework was no longer easy enough to complete in another class. I’ve made the mistake these past two years of being very lazy and greatly procrastinating. You see, though, when I say lazy I do not mean a “couch potato.” I simply mean I put the things I enjoy doing much higher on the priority list than my schoolwork. I cannot say that I haven’t enjoyed my high school years, but I can say it these last two years have finally caught up with me and have been quite overwhelming. I have missed opportunities, and now know that I must make a permanent change to fulfill my dreams in college.

I am not writing this letter to scare you or make you contemplate dropping out. IB has been a great experience for me, and no matter what, I wouldn’t allow myself to quit. I simply want to encourage you to be responsible, organized, and timely from the beginning so that you can avoid going down the wrong path as I did. There will be times you feel overwhelmed, but just remember it will get better. I encourage you to stay involved in your hobbies because they will allow you to vent, however, just keep your priorities in proper order. Work hard, take every opportunity that comes your way, and you will succeed.

The best of wishes,

Erin Carey

 

Dear freshman,

Hello! Welcome! The IB program is not as hard as its reputation can have people thinking!! The program will look very good on college applications, and I encourage you to remain in the program. For some, your freshman year may start out easy and/or seem easy. If you have biology first semester, I feel sorry for you. This is the hardest class you have your freshman year. If you have this class first semester – that means you have to do science fair with her – do not be discouraged. Your other classes should be rather normal.

Get involved in extracurricular activities – sports, clubs, activities – but not too many that you will find little time to do work. There is a “club rush” toward the beginning of the year where you can learn about many of the clubs around campus. I am in band, I tutor two afternoons a week, and I am in A-Team. In addition, I am in French club and World Language Honor Society. These activities will look great on college applications.

There is some saying about all work and no fun is bad. Anyways, this is true in IB. If all you do is work and study, you’ll be a very unhappy, depressed person. Take a weekend here and there to do something fun and forget about schoolwork – but still do your homework for that weekend. Never do homework or even think about school on a Friday evening. Go to a football game or watch a movie.

Finally, get good grades your first two years to balance with your junior and senior year grades. Remember to have fun and IB can be a very good thing. Do not be discouraged by any hard classes.

Sincerely,

Andrew F. Heneen

 

Imparting my infinite wisdom

Dear freshmans:

To succeed in IB you need three things: brains, guts, and cargo pants.

Brains: ¿Brains? I don’t need brains! I had straight A’s all through middle school; in fact, just to get into this program each one of us had to outcompete four of the brightest kids in the county! I’ve got brains in spades; next question.”

Paco, first thing upon entering IB you’ll discover the following: the sum of your achievements in middle school is precisely zero. Not to say that you aren’t an accomplished student, but in an environment where everyone is just as accomplished, you’ll find the need to work yourself up from the median all over again. All of you have earned the right to experience the most rigorous of curricula here, yet none of you have ever before been tried at this level: study hard and be confident, but not without humility.

PS: if you should find that you are in need of brains, Shuff notes, AP guides, and other materials are available for purchase. E-mail Betsy@thebohrergallery.com.

Guts: let’s talk about stress. Even my best customers get it.

It takes guts to handle stress – to resist procrastination, to deliberately plan weeks ahead. Many prefer to approach their homework on an easy-going and day-to-day basis, many do possibly well for a while. The nearsightedness of this strategy must be the leading cause of stress in IB: by placing tomorrow’s little assignments over next week’s big assignments, you allow major deadlines to hit you in the face.

Prioritize. Score higher. Sleep longer. Live healthier. You can improve your study habits, it just takes guts.

Cargo pants: get some. And while you’re at it, drop by Army/Navy surplus and get yourself a backpack.

Accommodation of the deluge of printed material with which you will be confronted in IB, the sheer unfathomable volume of which has filled an empty refrigerator box in my room, requires heavy-duty organization.

Your backpack is a file cabinet, not a trash can: keep a folder for every class so as to eliminate loose paper. Also, go easy on your back and minimize excess bulk; for instance, I recommend compact composition notebooks for note taking over bulkier three-ring notebooks. Streamline your workspace: efficiency gets the job done faster.

Maybe you’ll even get some time to yourself. J

So there you have it, you enlightened pupils. Brains, guts, and cargo pants: that is my advice to you.

With complete sincerity,

Zachary Weatherby

 

Looking back on my experience at IB, I have found time management to be the most important factor in whether you succeed or not. The infamous procrastination disease is the greatest danger throughout high school. The workload is not bad as long as you don’t let it pile up on you so that you have to do it all at the same time.

As far as studying, I have found that the most important thing is to at least go over the information once, specifically in chemistry, where it is very valuable for the tests to just read through the Chapter once. It is also important to not procrastinate for studying, it is much easier to retain the information if you study over a period of days.

Finally, another important piece of advice is to get involved in extracurricular activities, especially sports, as they are an excellent way to relieve stress and hang out with friends.

Michael Kleissler

To incoming freshmen:

After working through this program for the past 3.5 years, I still don’t know exactly what to advise you. Basically all I can say is to not join this program if you are not willing to work A LOT. By coming to IB, you are giving up a normal high school life. Such as you’ll be spending more weekends studying or doing homework than having fun. Unless of course you find fun in studying.

Freshman through sophomore years are not so bad, but omg senior year is hard. Count on studying every weekend. If you do decide to take a few weekends off for going out, expect your grades to drop. Finish your extended essay early! Do not take European history. Don’t take it even if you think you like history. The class will make you hate history forever.

There are about 8760 hours in a year. By going to IB you will approximately have only 2500 hours of free time as compared to most people (like my sister) who have 5000 hours of free time. (This is only an approximation based on my observations.) Yeah, that’s a big difference in hours!!!

And make friends with your classmates (at least the hard-working or smart ones)  because they are really helpful and generally a lot of fun.

Okay bye,

Michelle Brumwell

 

Dear freshman,

You are about to embark upon a four-year journey full of torture, pain, and sleepless nights. Luckily, I have a few words of advice for you that will help ease the pain, granted you do as I say.

First of all, avoid procrastination. Why? Because when you procrastinate on one assignment, you’ll procrastinate on everything else. Eventually “everything else” turns up being due on the same day. In such a circumstance you have no chance of survival.

I also advise you to not annoy everyone. These people will be with you for four years, and to be on someone’s hit list on the first week of school is not advisable.

Last of all, enjoy high school. Your whole life doesn’t revolve all around IB. In the real world you need to be social and smart to succeed. If you have an imbalance in social skills, sure enough you won’t have a life even outside of high school.

I hope these random bits of advice prove useful along the way, and welcome to IB!

Ankita Patel

 

Dear freshman,

You’re just starting here and you may think you’re comfortable and have this figured out, but every day is a new day. You should always expect something out of the ordinary to happen. We recently had an incident in our class were a student was caught cheating, and now the entire class is being punished without any extra credit. Consequently there is a single A in this class. This class being History of the Americas, the most pointless subject ever. Let me take that back, it’s not pointless because there is a fluctuation of dictatorships and revolutions, a whole bunch of Juans and Josés, and military coups like whoa. When you take Shuff’s class three years from now, study like crazy; I think you’ll be surprised and actually find it worth your time.

Being a senior is tough work with all of the important IB stuff. While there are many small assignments that you could get by with either doing a poor job on or not doing it at all in your first three years, during senior year it’s crunch time. Everything seems to determine whether or not you get that IB diploma. When you finally sit down and “just do it” like Delk says, you’ll actually find it rewarding. World lit papers are probably the easiest of the IB assignments within your first semester. Then there is the TOK essay that requires some serious contemplation and organization. You can sit down and write what you think it is a perfectly good and responsive paper, and then sit down to proofread and find out it is actually a completely incoherent paper. The extended essay is the big one. The only piece of advice I have for that one is pick a topic you find interesting.

Since this is for calculus, I’ll give you a little device on the street portfolios. Now Miss Frisbie being that wonderful woman that she is may give you your portfolio over Thanksgiving break, giving you two weeks to work on it. While most of your classmates will not even read it until you get back to school (as I did), I suggest you sit down and spend a couple hours with it to figure out exactly what you were going to do. Use those breaks teachers give you. They actually care about your well-being, although it may not seem like it at the time. Don’t worry about senior year too much. Enjoy your other three years first, or else you’ll go crazy.

Your senior friend,

Ashley Pitts

 

Dear upcoming IB freshman,

Throughout these trying and tedious, but hopefully rewarding, years at IB I have much advice to offer. First of all, stress is the detrimental factor that most of the time provides failing results. No stress equals a clear, better thinking mind. Just fight every week to get to the weekend, have some goal that will push yourself to get your work done. Also, don’t let homework or IB hinder your social life drastically. Every teenager needs to spend time outside of the books and experience those events that are inevitable to the average teen. Do not be afraid to get involved with athletics, clubs, or other activities other than academics. Colleges look highly upon a well-rounded student.

There will be many stress causing factors throughout the next four years, but those who don’t let the stress bother them too much will be the ones graduating in the end. The biggest pitfall associated with IB is getting sucked into great stress and letting it have a great effect on you. Also always be respectful to the IB faculty, because if one doesn’t like you, at least five others will feel the same way. But most of all, try to stay on top of everything and don’t get behind, for this is what dooms many students.

Looking back, history classes and the extended essay have been most important and deserving of the most study. All the history teachers have different teaching and testing styles. To beat these aggravating and confusing systems… study, study, study. Take notes or have someone else’s to study. Most importantly though, read the book(s). History is basically memorization and should not be extremely difficult, just study. Alike, the extended essay requires time as well. Start when it is given to you and do not lag behind. Get as much research as you possibly can and have an English major edit it. Good luck, and goodbye… I’m so glad this stuff is almost over.

Brent Delph

 

To incoming IB freshman, I would advise that you complete as much extraneous IB curriculum as possible before senior year. Such things as CAS hours and the extended essay are avoidable during his senior year if you make an effort to complete them early on. By getting them done early, you will appreciate it later on when other work starts piling up.

Correspondingly, it is best to do coursework assignments as soon as possible as well. Procrastination only makes things worse, because the work from each class just keeps piling. It is more important to get all assignments completed and turned in than to perfect a fraction of them and avoid the rest. It is a waste of time to try for 100% instead of 90%.

Prioritizing is also important. If you don’t have time to complete everything you need to, choose the ones with higher point values and closer due dates first. You should accept that not all work will be turned in on time in every class. In addition your grades in middle school probably won’t be very close to the ones you are here. B’s are okay, I promise.

Andrea McClary

 

Dear freshman,

It seems like just yesterday I stepped of the bus at the loading zone at Bartow Senior High School for the first time. I felt the exhilaration of beginning high school rush through me, but I felt a little nervous of how my experience would unfold. Whether you are taking Bartow High classes, attending the International Baccalaureate program (you will learn how to spell that one day), or joining the ranks of the Summerlin Academy, there are some situations and practices which you should avoid.

While high school is just a single step up from middle school, high school is probably the greatest jump in education that you can make. Be prepared to have more homework and to spend more time on school activities. Not all freshmen will have rigorous coursework during their first semester; nevertheless, all classes require the same amount of dedication as others. Eventually, some of you will be planning to go to college, and your grades as a freshman will be considered. In my first year, I felt like I could slack off in several of my classes, and my grades at the end of the first grading period represented the effort I had given. Due to procrastination, the enemy of all students, I had to work harder than I wanted for the rest of the year to make up for my mistakes. All the extra stress of late nights and friendless weekends has ruined a good part of my life during high school. I advise you to stay on top of your work. It may seem like a better idea to have fun first; however, you are a student and schoolwork should be completed before fun in most situations. Do not let school keep you from having fun, but remember that friends will understand if you are unable to go out while teachers will not change their plans just because you went to the movies instead of doing homework.

Throughout high school, you are certain to see cheating going on all around you. This does not mean that you have permission to cheat. Cheating works against the education you are working towards. Teachers give assignments to reinforce class lessons, which, if left alone, are more likely to be forgotten. If you do not do the work what happens when you try to recall the information for a test? You may be a great guesser or test taker; however, you are not good enough to remember everything the first time you hear or see it. Doing work on your own allows you to relax a little when tests come because you know that you understand the material and can pass the test. Students who do their own work may only have to do a quick review of the work, while students who cheat end up having to cram for the test in one night. The odds of retaining the information after one cram session are not good. Trust me. I know. In the end, taking the time to do your own work will give you more time for fun.

I hope you consider my suggestions.

Andrew Capik

 

Dear Future Freshmen,

The brouhaha of the first day of high school can be quite overwhelming and intimidating. However, with a few pieces of helpful advice, one can circumvent many pitfalls. By not obsessing over GPA and avoiding frivolous courses you can experience a normal high school experience; that can later be referred to as “the best four years of your life.”

A plethora of IBers unhealthily obsess over their GPA, only to be deterred by a required, 0.5 weighted course. Impersonal numbers serve as a source of escapism from their pathetic social lives and thus should be forgotten along with Mr. Rhoden’s tips on writing a Data Based Document (DBQ). The importance of knowledge gained in a course far surmounts the grades one is assigned. In addition, do not forget that a 90% is an A, and only below a 60% is failing, this will assist in communication with Bartow High School students.

During your years at the International Baccalaureate School, there are some important lessons one must learn. The most urgent of these, is that it is imperative that you learn to spell “baccalaureate” since it will be frequently required. Also, you may be enticed by false advertisements of AP European History, Anatomy and Physiology, and AP Environmental Science. Avoid taking these courses at all cost since they are the primary source for undesired stress of those who did not have the foresight not to take them. Taking an easier class, like Horticulture or Law Studies, can help cope with a stressful workload and also serve as a place to meet BHS students.

Following these two general rules can instantly improve your future life at IB. If you merely enjoy your time here, instead of attempting to dominate the school, you can accomplish hurdles you would have once thought of as impossible. Do not follow the influence of others who wish to bully others with their superficial grades and live above the influence. You’re here to have a good time and learn, not to impress everyone with your grades.

Reagan Lee

 

Freshmen,

Welcome to the wonderful world of IB. Here you will meet many new friends, learn a lot (hopefully), and receive the best education the state has to offer. First, congratulations on getting into IB. You have thus far proven yourselves to be excellent students. Now you will have to prove yourselves all over again. I think the best advice I can give to you about your IB careers in general is to live a balanced life. The IB curriculum is demanding and teachers don’t cut you a whole lot of slack. This results in the much hyped IB workload, which I must admit, is quite strenuous. But you have to try and live above the work. Grades really are not everything, no matter what your parents tell you. Personally, I think it is much better for a student to have average grades while playing two sports, hanging out with friends, and perusing some hobby (golf for me) instead of living a life saturated with nothing but studying just to get straight A’s. I don’t generally follow my own advice, however, and often end up stressing about little things. Think big picture, and don’t sweat the small stuff.

To me, the greatest advantage of IB is not to help with getting into good colleges but to be prepared for whatever college you get into. The politics surrounding getting into a top notch university these days is ridiculous, so don’t think that by just getting straight A’s you can make it to the big time. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t work towards an ivy league school if that is your dream. Just remember, is it really worth 4 extremely stressful years to give yourself a 10% chance of getting into college? I’m not condoning laziness, though, not by a long shot. All I’m saying is, work hard, do the best you can, but don’t let what should be four enjoyable years of your life pass you by.

As far as advice about specific classes go, you guys have a much different curriculum with much different teachers than I did so it is hard to give you specific advice. Allow me then, to spend a few words on the whole idea of procrastination. Procrastination is a word that you will hear thrown around a lot and it is believed by most to be the downfall of an IB student. I quite disagree. A certain amount of procrastination is not a bad thing, as long as the goal of the procrastination is to have fun and you are able to not worry about the work while you are procrastinating. A problem much bigger than procrastination in favor of a fun activity is the problem of procrastination for procrastination’s sake. This is the deadly problem. If you find yourself with nothing to do and you decide that you might as well watch another hour of TV, ask yourself if you would just rather do the work now (since you aren’t really having fun you are just avoiding work) or would you rather have to miss something much more fun later because your work is not done? In short procrastination is okay as long as it is active procrastination and not lazy procrastination. That’s all I have to say, and I wish you all wonderful years in IB. Remember, as Dr. Vetter would say, you are the next generation of “the few, the proud, the IB.”

Peace,

Buddy Valenti

 

As a new student to IB at Bartow High the advice that I can give you can help you adjust, succeed in class, and develop appropriate time management skills. Since you already had summer school you know most of your fellow classmates and maybe some sophomores, it is important that you know all of your classmates since there is only about 70‑80 of them and its good to make allies early on as it will be harder to assimilate into the cliques that will be formed during freshman year. Also get to know the upperclassmen like myself who could prove invaluable for information in school or outside of school. The schedule system at IB is really messed up and will take you about a month to get used to it and to know that u don’t like it. Also they isolate freshman during lunch now, this gives you a better chance to get to know your classmates better and you will have to wait till next year to hang with all of the awesome upperclassmen.

There are many tips and tricks to help you succeed at IB. These ranges from saving you time so you can spend it on more important assignments to just helping you get a better grade on homework or a project. When looking for help on a project or exam always ask someone a grade higher then you. When looking for homework just call one of your classmates. If you chose French as your language you will find it impossible to not succeed until your junior year then Mrs. Dietert will slaughter you with work. If you chose Spanish then you will get gradually slaughtered with work until you graduate. When you become a junior don’t read the big book for Mr. Goss’s tests (read the small one) because it won’t help you. Never miss an assignment in Mrs. Smith’s class because she will have no mercy and it will bring your grade down a lot. In Mrs. New’s class just turn work in at your convenience. Also never miss in excess of 20 (or 10 for that matter) days of school or you will have no life making up stuff, of this I am sure.

Number one rule for time management skills is, if there is time before class, in the morning, at lunch, or between classes (any time) do your homework if you haven’t. Although you will have a strong desire to procrastinate on projects you should try to do them in advance. If in the event you find yourself in a bind and need time you can miss school and do the project but do not exceed 10 days per nine weeks. Also during the first two years of IB you will most likely be riding the bus which is a great time to study for a test that day or do homework. When you can drive you can get 30‑60 minutes extra sleep but driving will make you want to take “mental health days” more often which is fine if done in moderation. Be prepared to receive a lot of work because that’s pretty much how IB rolls and don’t get behind on it and you will be fine.

Brian Bartley

DEAR FUTURE IB‑DIPLOMA‑HOLDER,

Congrats! You’ve gotten this far already, so take a deep breath and give yourself a pat on the back. There was obviously something the IB committee noticed that made them accept you, so from here on out, have no doubts that you can accomplish whatever IB throws at you. Although I can only offer my advice from what I’ve gathered at my experience in IB, I hope it helps.

High school, in general, is really about experiencing a new environment and learning from everything. Freshman year — at least to me and to most of my graduating class — was a chance to prove that we could take on IB, so we aimed to attain the usual straight A’s and to turn in our assignments on time. Likewise, you should too. Occasionally, this may seem like a daunting task because of the workload you might receive within a week, but a big part of IB is learning how to prioritize. You might be tempted to go to a movie with friends one night just to get away from all the work, and if you think you’ll be able to handle losing three to four hours (which might, by the way, come back to haunt you), go ahead, but beware! Those lost hours may initiate a chain of late‑night projects. This is something you desperately want to avoid.

At the same time though, don’t think that you won’t have a life. And don’t drop out during summer school or within the first week of school. In no way can the first seven days — when most everyone will probably be sitting in their seats quietly, afraid to be the first to speak — be a fair indicator of the rest of your IB life. I’ve known quite a few students who have wished that they were “anywhere but here,” even into the first few months, but all of those who have stayed gradually become attached to the people in their class. So give IB a chance, but keep in mind that dropping out is a one‑way‑ticket: you’re allowed to go, but you can never return.

Throughout the rest of your high school years, students from higher grade levels will advise you on which classes to take, how “tough” those classes are, how a teacher will respond if you do such and such, etc. In my experience, some of the advice has helped; however, IB isn’t as intimidating and strict as your preconceived notion might be. Sometimes, you might just have to take a class and try it out for yourself; what might be tough to forty students might be simple to you.

There is one thing that you should never do as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. You’ll hear teachers, students, random voices, and even yourself saying, “Don’t procrastinate,” but actually, the thing you should never, ever do is be a hypocrite. Do not go home, sit on the couch, and dawdle for an hour or two. Leave the dawdling for when you have completed all your assignments and have free time left. Then dawdle to your heart’s content, because you’ll be done with your homework, happy, and stress‑free.

Remember what I said above about how the difficulty of classes varies from student to student (or something along those lines)? Well, by general agreement among my class for the past three years and a semester, you will need to study for Shuff’s class. As for the others, like biology, chemistry, foreign language, math, English, etc. you’ll need to decide for yourself, depending on your strengths and weaknesses. And since you’re in IB, I’ll just assume that you know all of the classes you take are important.

With everything said, and with all the advice that you receive, try to enjoy your time at Bartow. High school is about development, forging friendships, and having spirit. So go out and try new things (but keep it within reason), and before you know it, you’ll be in my position, endowed with “knowledge beyond your years” and offering your own advice to incoming freshman.

Best of luck,

Ye Yao

 

Dear upcoming IB students:

As an experienced IB Senior, I have some advice that will help you get through these next few years with as little stress as possible. I know some other seniors may tell you to turn away now while you still have the chance, but the IB experience is definitely worth all of the trouble. I guarantee you, if you take my advice I will be saving you a lot of unnecessary stress. Ok, so here goes:

First of all, I’m not going to tell you not to procrastinate, because in all honesty, it’s inevitable. However, managing your time wisely can be a very effective skill that will help you in the long run, especially when you get to junior year. Try not to wait until the night before a paper or other project is due before starting to work on it; getting a head start a few nights before is definitely a good idea. Trust me; I stayed up until 3 in the morning last year trying to finish English journal questions when I had about 3 months to do them — this was not a fun experience.

Another thing that you should try not to procrastinate on is CAS hours. I know right now you’re not even thinking about that, but once you start junior year it will become a major part of your life. So, make sure you have a plan for major service projects that will get you lots of hours at one time; if you have fewer projects, you have less paper work. Oh, that’s another thing, keep up with your CAS paper work!! You don’t want to get to the end of senior year and have to try to remember every little project you did or have to track down the project leader for a signature.

Here’s another bit of advice: join as many extracurricular activities as possible. Not only are extracurriculars fun, but they look great on college applications. In addition, you get to be in a bunch of yearbook pictures, which is great because no one wants to feel like a loser for only being in 1 yearbook picture.

Finally, enjoy the IB experience!! I know you’ll be praying for graduation day throughout the next four years, but you only go through high school once, so enjoy it while you can!! While you’re in IB, you will meet some amazing people and develop life‑long friendships, so it’s not a completely bad experience. I want to wish all of you the best and trust me, YOU’LL BE FINE!!

Amanda Hansell

When I first came to IB as a freshman, I definitely did not want to be here. My parents had forced me to come here and every day I would complain about it. It took me several months to get accustomed to this school, but fortunately I began to look at it with a more positive attitude since I knew I would be stuck here. I made new friends and came to like the teachers.

Now looking at the demands of the IB curriculum. In my opinion, Spanish and biology were the most difficult subjects. In particular, my Spanish teacher teaches with a different method that I had never known before. Therefore, it was hard for me to succeed in her class. As a sophomore, I know a little more of what to expect in that class (students keep their language teacher for all 4 years), but I continue to have a hard time. I guess it just depends on what teachers you receive. Oh brother. All the other classes such as American government and art were easygoing. I was able to make good grades in them with moderate effort.

Overall, I think a major part of a student’s success depends on what teachers you receive. For instance, my calculus class is a wonderful one. Honestly. My teacher’s great knowledge in her subject is obvious and renowned. The thorough reviews and explanatory answers she produces, promote students’ success, which is evident in the percentage of pass rates of the AP Calculus exam. To conclude, I advise all newcomers to start out well by studying and working hard from day one. Never slack off, and if you ever have extra time, use it wisely to study for future tests.

Emily Yoon

 

To the future generations of nerds:

If I had to give advice to someone just entering the IB program, I don’t think I could limit what I’d have to say in only three paragraphs. IB has been a wonderful experience in teaching me about myself and exposing me to so many academic, social, and moral issues I know I never could have heard about at a regular high school setting. When I look at my friends who attended the public school I was zoned for, which just happens to be BHS so it’s kind of like I go there anyway, I see that I am so much better prepared for next steps of my life because I have been exposed to those things.

The classes themselves can be really daunting, especially when you have the kids in the grades above you complaining so cynically about how terrible they are. However, I’ve found that if you’re willing to sacrifice some things it really isn’t impossible at all. Work is just that, work. It’s hard, it’s unpleasant, and yeah, it sucks — but I can totally see the benefit when I look at the skills it has equipped me with. I’m not scared of long papers or math portfolios (even though I know I’m not the best at them) and studying for crazy hard history tests has kind of become second nature. Although I know that in a “regular” high school setting I could have the highest grades and probably graduate at the top of my class, it comforts me to know that I am in the same classes as kids that will be attending excellent colleges like Yale, the US Naval Academy, Furman, Duke, and many others. Never could I be exposed to people of that caliber at my “regular” high school, and I appreciate the way those people have contributed to making me a more well‑rounded type of intelligent.

I suppose one would say that the main reason I can even recommend or portray IB in such a positive light is because I have such a positive attitude. It’s just who I am, and in my opinion some degree of optimism or self‑confidence is absolutely necessary for your future sanity and overall well‑being in IB. You have to have things that you love and you spend your free time immersing yourself in; you’re only in high school, after all. Have fun, make friends, and enjoy yourself as much as you can. Sometimes, that may come in the form of going to a party or a dance, hanging out with your friends, hanging out by yourself (i.e., sleeping), or taking the time to really thoroughly study for a test and having the knowledge that you completely killed it. Believe me, that feeling can be pretty rewarding once in a while.

Overall, I’d have to say that the most major pitfall you have to watch out for will be conformity. Whether it takes the form of doing something because everyone else is doing it and it’s “cool,” doing something because it seems like an easy way out to what you know is right and “no one else has gotten caught,” or not standing up for what you believe in to your classmates because you don’t want to disagree or cause anyone to dislike you, every time you don’t follow your convictions you kill a little piece of what’s inside you. Never compromise that, IB’s not worth it and neither is any person you can meet here on earth.

I like to keep in mind my favorite quote when I get overwhelmed by the expectations of myself and my teachers and my parents, and I will leave you with it:

Success is what one strives for when one knows of nothing
greater for which to fail.

Best of luck and keep your eyes on the prize!

Yours truly,

Kimberly Bentley

Miss BHS ‘06‑‘07

 

Dear newbies (and I say this with the greatest amount of affection I can muster),

Thinking back on my two and a half years as an IB student here at BHS, there is one piece of advice I can give you with as much urgency and seriousness as is possible in a letter. And that is: Do Not Procrastinate. Procrastination is the bane of the IB student, and I’m telling you right now to not fall into its insidious trap. Believe me, staying up until 3 AM completing a 21-page bio lab, and then cramming for the history test you have the next day is about as fun as it sounds. Think ahead. Your teachers will usually give you ample warning about upcoming assignments and tests. I say usually because Mr. Goss, your Junior level history teacher, has an unfortunate habit of forgetting to mention crucial bits of information, but hey, that’s what caffeine and AP spark note books are for, right?

Other than that crucial bit of advice, all I can say to you is to take your grades seriously. They do matter. Take extra credit opportunities when they present themselves. Do your work seriously. And study for tests. Your grades at this stage in life, especially your Junior and Senior years, are extremely important, but of course, you should also balance them out with wholesome extracurricular and club activities. Be a well rounded student. Colleges love that like IB upperclassmen love sleep. In other words, quite a bit.

Finally, don’t be traumatized. IB is a huge step up from middle school. Don’t sweat it the first time you have to stay up past your bedtime completing an assignment or studying for a test. It certainly won’t be your last. The friends you make here will be your tightest friends for life. Tough times forge lasting friendships, and IB certainly has a few tough times. Open yourself to others, be outgoing, and succeed in IB with a positive attitude, a smile, and a can of Red Bull. This is my advice to you, incoming freshmen.

Best regards,

Rohan Khurana,

sleep deprived satirist

 

Looking Back: Advice To Freshmen

As I look back through the past 2-1/2 years of high school, I see many holes into which I have fallen. I was given advice similar to which I am about to give you, but I did not listen and, unless you’re wise, you will also ignore the words of the experienced. With that said, I will continue to ask you to do what I failed understand back then.

For starters, high school is not middle school. In middle school you might have had teachers that were watching your back all the time or simply giving you an A in the class for attending it. What has been described in the latter sentence now changes radically. In high school, no one is going hold a pillow to break your falls and make sure that you. are doing everything “right” from the start. Take matters into your own hands and do what is necessary to get the job done (except cheating, that shows lack of character). Do not cut yourself any slack and stay on top of every assignment that you are given even if it means studying on the bus.

The next fact is: study everything for the purpose of not forgetting the material in the future. You will have no idea, until two or three years later, how helpful it would have been if I could remember things that I learned freshman year and even a few things from before then for assignments that I do now and even just for the sake of knowledge. What you learn early in life, you will remember forever, but only if you learn it.

The final, and most important that I wish to make is very simple. Do not let yourself fall, and if you do fall get off of the ground quickly. Discipline yourself into staying on the top. Your grades are one of the most important subjects of your life because they decide your college possibilities, which affects your chances at getting the job you want and grades can return to haunt you later in life. Since you are human, there is the obvious possibility of you taking a sudden nose dive. When that nose dive comes, make sure to start pulling yourself back up because if you hit the ground, it will hurt.

That is my advice to you. It is very general, but applicable to many aspects of your lives. So, as I said before, chances are that you will ignore my advice just like I did not heed the advice given to me, but at least if you are reading this sentence, you were wise enough to care.

Moisés Rivero

 

Dear Upcoming Freshmen,

It’s impossible to write a manual on how to survive IB, much less be successful while you do it. There’s simply too much, as each person has their own tendencies, eccentricities, and needs. For example, my guide on completing essays on time would involve instructions for making coffee and peanut‑butter sandwiches in your sleep. Other people will say keep ahead of your work, or schedule your time appropriately, but I don’t think that’s quite appropriate. Constantly putting work ahead of your own personal needs will wear you out, important though it is to get work done. So you need to find a compromise. Not everyone loves to do World Lit essays, not everyone loves to do Calculus portfolios, but everyone in IB has to do them. I’m not saying it’s okay to skimp on your work, but I’m not going to say it’s okay to forget yourself either.

There are two conditions that need satisfaction, your personal needs and your workload. Every single person has their own unique way of handling this balance, and that’s why no specific instructions can be given. So my advice is to find your own groove, and settle down into it. The sooner you find a repeatable method of getting work done while still remembering what your girlfriend or boyfriend looks like, the easier your life will be for the next four years. Unfortunately, the vast majority of you will not find this niche until junior year when journals are due. But that’s okay, because it means you have time to test the waters and discover who you are as a person. This is what I mean: find out what you need on a daily or weekly basis and make a list. Allocate hours to work, music, exercise, sleep, so on and so forth until you can optimize your schedule. Give yourself as much free time as possible while not leaving out the important vital things that keep you alive (sleep being the easiest to lose track of). You’ll appreciate the free time when you look around your house and realize nothing is due the next day, so prop your feet up, pat yourself on the back, and smile at the fact that you’re an intelligent person who has a future.

Alejandro Lopez

 

Dear freshmen:

I hope IB has not been too much of a wakeup call to you thus far. I know the transition from the easy days of middle school to the hectic, sleepless night filled days of being an IB student in high school can be rough. I just have one piece of advice for you to help you cope with this situation. DO NOT SLACK! As you progress further and further into your high school career here you will learn that your teachers will become less and less sympathetic to your cause. For example, the compassion shown by Mrs. Patton will be non‑existent in your Junior and Senior years with Mr. Goss and Mr. Shuff. Also, find a source of caffeine that you can drink LOTS of. Some prefer coffee products. I personally enjoy energy drinks when I am up late working on a journal questions for Mrs. Smith or a portfolio assignment for Frisbie. Whatever your choice, make it and make it decisively. As you will soon find out time is of the essence because you will not have much of it.

Also, learn how to study. My problem when transitioning from Middle School to IB was the necessity of studying. In Middle School I was smart enough to where all I had to do to pass with straight A’s was sit in class and listen. I never had to study for anything in Middle School. When I arrived in IB I did not have any study skills whatsoever and I paid for it. If you can learn to study effectively you should be able to pass IB with no problem. Will it still be tough? Of course it will. But you will not be without a safety net if you know how to study.

Finally, and it might sound weird. BE COCKY! Have confidence in yourself. Do not stress over the inevitable bad test grade you will get every once in a while. If you stress over your shortcomings (and yes you will have them) you will make things much tougher on yourself than they have to be. When you get a bad grade, learn why you made that grade, and brush it off of your shoulder. In short, don’t set your goals too high that you cannot reach them. Don’t set them too low, just be careful. Don’t expect more out of yourself than you are capable of.

In closing, be tough, work hard, play hard, party hard, and drink (coffee) hard. You will need time to relax more than you think. Don’t be shy to take a “mental health day” or sleep in every once in a while. Notes in your planner from your parents saying you were sick can be a good friend when times are rough.

Daniel F. Cook

 

Dear freshman,

As a senior I have seen everything that IB has to offer — all but graduation. That is to say, I have been through the ups and the downs, the exams and the tests, the triumph of an A and the shock of a C. I wish I knew three years ago what I know now. If I could go back and tell myself anything, it would be the same as advice to a freshman. They would be: to always read the assigned works, to enjoy vacations as much as possible, and to never, ever, ever, ever procrastinate.

First, I think it is funny to point out how I automatically write in five paragraph form. That is due to too many years of FCAT. The first piece of advice I will give is to always read the assigned works — whether it is a novel, a play, a copied passage, or even just a worksheet — read it! Tests on novels are a lot easier if you actually read the darn thing. Even if you think you can just use Sparknotes and completely BS a paper or a test — don’t. It will only be harmful for you in the end (especially once you have to write your World Literature papers… oh how I shudder). Please don’t find this out the hard way.

Next is to always appreciate the time you have on vacation. Get as much sleep as you can possibly fit in. Don’t waste any time doing something that you will regret doing later — for example: This summer, while you are not in summer school, you spend all your time laying about. Once school time arrives, you will wish you had gone to the beach. Well, you know what? Too bad. Now that school has started, there will be no time left for trips to the beach (or at least there should not be). Squeeze the most out of whatever free time you are given.

Finally, never, ever, ever, ever procrastinate. Just do not do it. As the senior IB English teacher Mrs. Delk says, “Procrastination is a terminal disease” (Delk). If you procrastinate you are basically asking to die. Procrastination causes stress (even if you work well under pressure), and stress causes all sorts of problems: heart diseases, immune disorders, eating problems, problems with memory, and even unexplained hair loss. Do you want all your hair to fall out mysteriously? I didn’t think so. So don’t procrastinate and you will have a happy, hair‑filled life at IB.

So as a former freshman to a freshman, this is just the most important advice that a person can give you. Proceed at your own risk, for IB can be treacherous at times. There will be good times and bad times and simply awful times, but once you get through it all, it will all seem worth it.

Sarah Stone

 

 

 

Hey little freshman,

Welcome to the next four years of your life. Don’t worry, it doesn’t seem that long. I imagine you’re a bit scared or nervous – well, good. You should be. If you’re scared, you’re less likely to slack off. I’ve seen a lot of freshmen come into the school acting like it’s no big deal. They fail. I sat in my art class and watched careless freshmen fail. So whatever you do, take this seriously – your future rides on it.

Don’t give into senioritis. Believe people when they tell you it’s a disease. Senioritis can ruin you – and it’s not just for seniors either. I had it my sophomore year all the way until my senior year. Thanks to that, I spent many late nights doing projects that I should have worked on all week and taken a few “harmless” zeros. It’s not worth it to slack off. Even when a college accepts you, they still keep tabs on you – make yourself look good.

And, as strange as this may sound, do not try to “fit in.” You’re much, much better being yourself. No one respects a fake – and trust me, a fake is easy to see. Don’t let other students try to push you into things. Everything is your choice and yours alone. No one knows what’s best for you but you. If people don’t like you for being different and standing out, then they don’t deserve you.

This is all good advice. I hope you heed it. But mostly – the best advice I can tell you is: stay strong.

Hope I helped. Good luck.

Samantha Parrish

 

The advice I would give a freshman starting out would be an extensive list beginning with be sure to allow nothing to steal your joy or energy related to school. It is so easy to be caught up in the desire to be in cliques or to have the perfect grades, but the way people will measure you in this category is not giving justice to yourself. Sometimes being the better person may mean you lose some friends and may not be a part of a group and sometimes you can try really hard on an assignment and still not make the grade you want. But these obstacles do not measure you, they only make you grow to realize the values that are really important: honesty, compassion, and determination.

By realizing this fact this can help you overcome many obstacles relating to high school and the real world. You won’t have to waste time and energy by seeking the appreciation by others; instead you can start your own path and develop spiritually into a more independent individual better adapted to face the real world. It also may help your spirits when you feel like everything else is failing (the things in which you can’t control). But you can always depend on yourself that you have been true to the values you may hold.

What I feel is most important and deserves the most study is finding inner peace from God. Although, I believe that this cannot be forced upon someone in a school setting but rather it will be recognized at the appropriate time, this inner peace provides substantial energy to survive anything. I wish I would have always remembered about God throughout all high school but sometimes the obstacles incur grab our attention to help us focus on Him. When you do focus on Him and realize that things will be okay no matter what, that puts all the stress that may accumulate from different classes off your shoulders. You then begin acting out of faith and the blessings and peace cannot help but overtake you. This idea does deserve so much study because it would solve all the problems in today’s society but “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” And when a soul is prepared the peace will follow.

Katie Haag

 

Dear freshman,

First I would like to congratulate you on making it past middle school and now get ready for high school. I don’t mean to scare you, but you need to get ready. Get involved with school but don’t get over whelmed. Don’t worry if you’re the only one out of your friends that gets involved or the only one you know in a club, you’ll make friends. Be courageous about things; try not to worry as much. Try out for plays, elections, take the classes you want, and don’t settle for less. It is more to regret the things you haven’t done then the things you have done. There are things that I regret doing, but I hate and regret so much the things I didn’t do. Most of all, take time for you. Don’t feel bad if you start getting annoyed by your friends, it is really yourself telling you — “hold up, I think it is time for me time.” Oh yes, have fun. Bartow may seem a little chaotic and you may get upset at it, but you’ll have good times. Trust me you’ll have some.

I am going to stress this to you: DON’T PROCRASTINATE. I know it sounds so good, but you are going to be so much better off if you don’t do it. You’ll make yourself sick staying up late and making yourself cry at 2 am in the morning; but I’ll say this — sometimes you just need to so you make yourself understand. Avoid eating anything in the lunchroom that you may think might not taste so good. Avoid boys that think they are all that. Don’t get involved with a boy that may hurt you or wants you to do things. I haven’t been through that, but I have seen friends go that way, and they regret it. That is one thing to regret and the only thing. Don’t let anyone influence you to do something you do not want. One pitfall to avoid is thinking you are not worthy. You are an exceptional person. Avoid this situation — no matter where you come from, it does not give you the right to think you can’t.

Yes, study. You are probably thinking what is this study you talk of. Well it is a thing that you do to prepare yourself for a test or a class. You need to study even though you know the stuff, study some more. Study people to see who your friends are. Study life so you can succeed. Study for that test to pass. If it is ten minutes of studying, at least you somewhat studied. Every minute counts. For those classes that you have a hard time in study a little more. It is great to get an A, B, or C on a test. D and F are not good. I’m saying C because sometimes you just need more time.

One more thing, don’t just be about school. There is life beyond school, crazy as that may seem; enjoy it. Enjoy each day, the bad and good days. When you step in as a freshmen don’t be scared, we seniors and upperclassmen can sense it. Don’t worry there are nice seniors and upperclassmen. Trust me! There is nothing to be afraid of, okay. You are going to do great. Walk into Bartow with your head held high and a smile on because you going to be in four years a Bartow graduate and outta there. I couldn’t imagine anywhere else even if there were a few times that I have said “I HATE BARTOW!” Congrats BHS student and welcome to high school. Good luck and I give my best wishes. See ya in the real world soon, but not too soon for me at least.

Sincerely,

Sara Lee Martinez

 

All the experiences that I had in BHS were wonderful and educational. When I first came to high school, I had my oldest sister to lead me through my though situations. But not everyone will have that chance. Starting as a freshmen in high school is scary first, but once you get to know everything you will ease a little. There are many things I would advice a freshman who is starting at Bartow High School.

As a senior now, the number one thing I miss out of my freshmen year was the friends from class of 2004. To advice, I will suggest make friends as many as you can, not just one type. But when you try to make new friends make sure you would not get distracted from your goals. Friends can destroy you, and also friends can lead you to your success. So when you try to merge into the high school crowd make good choices, and know what you are doing.

Once you come to high school, the most number one concern in a girl’s mind is to get a boyfriend. That reason does not lead you to success always. As a witness myself, I seen many of my classmates getting pregnant and dropping out of school. Once again, make sure you have fun, but does not cross the limit at any case. Also when boys comes between friends, they tend to break their friendship, which often cause students to be stressed and do poor in classes.

Thirdly, I wanted to say, do your best in classes. Get involved in every club, to find what you are really interested in. Get involved in school bands, sports, chorus, drama or even yearbook. Students who are involved in those showed much positive attitude and had much school spirit. Getting involved in clubs gives you a better opportunity to be a leader and have superior goals.

Lastly, I think the most important advice I can give to a freshman is to know what you really want to be. One of the biggest mistakes I made, was not knowing what to do after high school. I would suggest to narrow down your interests and talents, and start taking classes. For example, if you love the health care field you should join the health academy. Bartow High School has many outstanding areas of study to fulfill your dream. Take all kind of different classes if you don’t know what you really like, and see which one you like the best.

Do not let anything get in the way to reach that final goal. Make sure you are doing the right things. These are the few pieces of advice I can give you as a senior at Bartow High School.

Ninnu Philip