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 and by Summerlin Academy students. The very last two are from  exchange students who spent their junior year at BHS. The essays are otherwise in no particular order.

 

 

Dear innocent victims (a.k.a. freshmen),

So you have chosen to come to BHS. Or maybe the IB school has chosen you. Or of course, there is the most likely option that your parents/school zone area has chosen the entirety of your high school experience for you.  Congrats.  I’ve been here for three years, and I can tell you it’s pretty good.  It’s not perfect – far from it. But perhaps it is those imperfections that will make your high school years enjoyable.  So speaking of how to make these years fun, maybe the best place to start is by finding out what exactly it means to go to high school.  It’s not nearly as glamorous as in the movies (although everyone does get their fair share of scandals) and it’s definitely not as easy as those people make it look – believe me, partying/hanging out with your friends every day after school for an extended period of time is a rarity.  So let’s cut to the chase and talk about the reality of high school.

Dictionary.com (which will most likely become a very close friend of yours in the next four years if it isn’t already on your favorites) defines high school as “a school attended after elementary school or junior high school and usually consisting of grades 9 or 10 through 12.”  Pause, rewind, play.  This is perhaps the most incomplete definition of a high school ever provided. “But you just said dictionary.com is awesome!” Correction.  I said it would become a close friend of yours.  As will people.  First lesson of high school – your close friends will not be your close friends for the full extent of your high school career, nor will they always be right.  Quite literally, dictionary.com has defined what a high school is, but what it has failed to mention is the underlying meaning of it (this is something you will do a lot of studying in English classes – believe me, symbolism will become your most hated enemy when you start colormarking).  So let’s break down this definition.

“A school attended” – a) high school is a place of education (although not all classes are necessarily educational)

1. b) you have to actually goto school (hence, “attended”)
   “After elementary school or junior high school” – you go here after a set of teachers from your past/some standardized tests (that never go away fully) say you can move on – these recommendations you will most likely find quite inaccurate pretty quickly.

“And usually consisting of grades 9 or 10 through 12” – Basically, you’re stuck here for 4 years.

Deal with it.

This is a pretty depressing outlook, isn’t it? The truth is, this is high school.  If you want to pass and actually get out in the suggested four years, you have to come to school.  You have to try. I’m sure half of you may have just experienced a sharp intake of air, commonly known as a “gasp.”  It seems logical, but for some of you, you may not have ever had to try before. Some of you will have to work harder than others in the next four years.  And some of you will see people you know dropping like flies around you and facing some of the hardest struggles they’ve ever been through in these four years, and you’ll be faced with the difficult decision of standing by them when things get rough or getting out of there before you get dragged into it. You’ll have to choose some classes, and make sure you’re choosing wisely because colleges are getting more and more restrictive daily (even, probably, while I’m writing this instead of applying for scholarships and universities because passing my calculus midterm seems pretty important).  This may mean not goofing off and taking underwater basket weaving, and taking honors and AP academic courses by choice instead.

Yes, I did just say take advanced academics for electives, and here’s why.  Many of you may not figure this out early on in the game, and you could miss out on really great opportunities.  Pretty much most of those “fun” electives can be done after school. “But I’ll have too much homework if I take advanced courses for electives to participate in extracurriculars,” you say, and that, my little freshmen, is where this beautiful little thing called “time management” (you may have heard of it) comes in.  Yes, it’s hard. Yes, there have been days in my experience in high school where I have worked from 3 pm to midnight to finish homework and studying.  And oh, yes, the night before C-days REALLY sucks.  I was in that position freshman year, too.  I didn’t want to sign up for too much because I wasn’t sure what my year was going to be like; I didn’t think I would be able to handle it.  And perhaps, this is the best route to take, and add in activities as you find out that you can handle them.  Get involved in athletics of some sort. If you’re athletically challenged (like me) be a performer.  And no, I don’t mean one of those weird guys that walks around “singing” the latest hip-hop numbers through the hallway while trying to figure out why his four-sizes-too-big-pants keep sagging.  I mean join band or go into the performing arts.  All of these things require a lot of input and a lot of hours, but the truth is, if you don’t join these things, you neither look like a very well-rounded individual when college comes around nor will you maintain your sanity when the going gets rough.  I’ve met some of my best friends through these kinds of activities, and getting involved in non-academic things can actually greatly improve your stress level and academic level.  When you are given less time to do things, you actually try to finish them faster and do them right, and that Facebook browser at the bottom of your screen tends to magically disappear.

You’re probably wondering how to juggle a social life with all this (and more than likely, wondering when I’ll finally stop).  The social life that you want is completely dependent on how badly you want it.  Perhaps my most favorite quote from my high school career was one by a man by the name of Randy Pausch: “The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”  Time is the biggest constraint, no lie.  But time can be bent to fit your needs.  Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as a time machine/time turner (depending on if you’re a sci-fi geek or a wizarding freak), but it is as simple as calling someone up and saying, “I want to hang out, let’s schedule something.”   Another huge thing to understand about a social life is that you will not stay best friends with only one person for your entire time in high school.  That defies the purpose of embarking on this marvelous journey of personal growth and discovery.  For example, I haven’t truly sat down and talked to a person who used to be my best friend for 8^th – 10^th grade in more than 2 months, and longer if I’m actually trying to account for true friendly discussion that is not the generic “what’s up.”  We had a falling out, we developed differently at different times, and we discovered that we were no longer the same people we used to be.  We both have new friends, new habits, and entirely new outlooks on life and what’s important.  In the proverbial words of Forrest Gump, “it happens.”   Granted, worst things than “it” will happen, but for the sake of keeping it school appropriate, we’ll just leave it at that.  And relationships – you’re definitely allowed to have them.  Don’t do what I’ve seen so many of the people around me do and fall head over heels in love with a person in two days only to find out a week later that they don’t feel the same way.  I’ve seen people slip academically and psychologically from this.

Bartow High School is an interesting campus to say the least.  Don’t drink the water from the water fountains, don’t expect the attendance office to be open anytime earlier than 6:50, and be prepared to smell flooded sewage at least once a year.  Oh, and bring antibacterial to school with you, because the only bathrooms with soap are the ones that require a key.  This school will test you in every way it knows how, and since you’re in Polk County, you know some crazy changes will happen at some point. Academically, don’t fall behind in math because it’s one of those things that never goes away, and stop complaining about writing long essays because you waste more time wishing you didn’t have to do it than you would if you just went for it. Lastly, be ready to change.  Life throws strange things at you in these four years, and if you’re not ready to roll with the punches, you will get beat down.  It’s a long way to the top and it’s a narrow platform once you get there – you can’t afford to slip and fall on your way up.  That said, best of luck to you all.  Stay focused and don’t lose sight of your dreams, but don’t forget to have fun.

Sincerely,

Steffanie Munguía, IB class of 2012

 

Dear IB freshman,

First off, I want to congratulate you on your acceptance to the IB program at Bartow High!  May I caution you that you are entering on your own risk? (Just saying) Since you have decided to come to the IB program be optimistic and make the most of all opportunities. Well, on the other hand as a senior, still in the IB program, I have grown to appreciate my decision of coming to the IB program. Many doors to my career dreams open every day from my accomplishments as an IB student. Anyway I’m moving along to some advice that you should consider on this strenuous journey through high school. I have faith that each and every one of you will succeed! The sky is the limit!

Don’t waste time! I have learned that time is very valuable. In other words do not procrastinate.  Planning your four-years before they actually happen is something to consider. Go to Mrs. Cavanaugh and talk to her about classes. Ask questions. How can I plan for the next four years of my life? Even though our main Pre-IB and IB classes are picked out, you still have a choice of electives. Pick electives of your interest. Secondly, build a good GPA starting from 9th grade. Trying to maintain a high GPA in 11th and 12th grade is VERY difficult. So PLAN ahead and maintain those grades! Do anything and everything during freshman and sophomore year to boost that GPA. Go to tutors, ask teachers for help, and work hard! In junior and senior year be sure to take all internal assessments and AP/IB tests VERY SERIOUSLY! Also, SAT/ACT test scores will dictate your life after senior year. If you are a National Merit finalist colleges will hand you money. It’s almost like they are begging you to come to their school. You really want to blow these tests out of the water and score high! So start studying NOW. Research and plan your extended essay over the summer between junior and senior year.

Please have a life! Even though IB gives a much heavier work load than most high schools there is time to go out and have fun. Engage your mind in activities other than studying. I seriously enjoy volunteering and doing CAS. My CAS project was a very huge production during my junior year. I hosted the International Night with the help from members of my club called International Connections. Junior year was the worst year for me but I managed to keep my grades up, played recreational soccer, joined club several clubs (HOSA, FBLA, NHS, etc) and put the International Night together. Stay socially active.

Van Gogh once said “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” If you embrace the advantages of the IB program then the benefits will me so much more than you ever expected.

Enjoy high school and stay motivated!

Best of luck,
Hiral Jivanji

P.S.: If you want some more advice about junior year read my letter to incoming Pre-Calculus students on Mrs. Frisbie’s website.

 

 

Dear Freshman,

Congratulations on making your way into the IB program! Your next 4 years will certainly be full of hard work and stressful nights, but don’t be scared! I am here to offer you small- but helpful- pieces of knowledge and advice that I picked up over time. First of all, I’ll
sort you guys into three categories: 1) the hard-working epitome of IB kids, 2) the smart but not-so-hard-working students, and 3) the…… students, lol. You will learn over time which of your peers fit into which category, and even though you have your differences, make friends with everyone!

Therefore, I will start with one of the most defining choices of IB: physics or biology? If you fall into category one, choose biology. If
you fall into categories two or three, choose physics. Simple as that! (However, if you are bad at math and fall into category two, take
biology). There is not enough space on this page to explain why you should take either science, which is why you should consult a friendly junior or senior for more advice. Also, I would highly recommend taking the Calculus route instead of the Math Analysis route, unless you NEVER plan on using calculus in college. This decision is easier made after a nice chat with Mr. Nakamura (Naki). Overall, don’t take courses that will get you stressed out unless you can really handle it. I’m not saying to underachieve, but try to know what you’re getting yourself into before you take a class. If you’re a type two or three IB student, take biology if that’s what you’re into or enjoy. Just know that some classes don’t mix well with your late-night Call of Duty: Black Ops sessions. Just sayin.

Finally, the basic pieces of advice. First, don’t procrastinate! It’s horrible. Unless the pressure of doing assignments the night before
“helps” you, try to finish long assignments on the weekend so that the minimal time available on weekdays can be spent on shorter
assignments. The time spent on the weekend will save you much-needed sleep on weekdays. Especially once you start driving, sleep is
beneficial for you, your safety, and the safety of others on the road. Narcolepsy is dangerous. Second, make friends! They make this trip much more tolerable and even fun. Third, maintain some hobbies! Playing Black Ops, playing sports, joining clubs, or playing Black Ops are good ways to pass whatever free time you have and relieve yourself of stress. Did I mention that playing Black Ops is a good stress-reliever? Just letting you know. Black Ops.

Good luck! (You’ll need it)
Sam Phen

 

 

Dear upcoming freshman,

When I was a freshman, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or where I was supposed to go. I was completely lost with all the work I had to do, since I came from a Catholic school where they did not assign much work for us to do. Now that I am a senior, things have become a little bit easier. I have learned my way around my busy work schedule and my extracurricular activities, especially volunteering at a nearby nursing home. Since you are now becoming a student here at IB, you should try to figure out how to manage your time wisely, not procrastinating like many students do here anyway. Once you know how to manage your time around your work, your high school career will not be as bad as some people will tell you. You will have a social life that people mistakenly think that IB kids do not have.

Another thing that you should do is to actually ask people for help. Some people think that teachers won’t help you when you are completely stuck, or that they are the cruelest person in the world, but that is not true. All the teachers are very generous and helpful, and can help you when you do not understand the material. The upperclassmen can also help, since they have been through those classes also. The upperclassmen are not as scary as you might perceive them to be. In IB, we are one big family. Everyone knows each other, and also helps one another when the other person is in a difficult situation. So if you are stuck somewhere, just ask one of your fellow IB family members and someone will be there to help you.

You should also enjoy your freshman year as much as you can. After freshman year, the classes will definitely get harder. You should not complain about the work or the classes you have to take, since the classes and work load is just going to get harder throughout your years in IB. Instead, you should join as many clubs and sports as you can, so that you have some time to do some extracurricular activities while you have the chance. Once you go on with IB, you will not have enough time to participate in many clubs, so when you try as many as you can freshman year, you can choose your favorites to participate in during you other years in IB. The more clubs you’re in, the more people that you can meet and become friends with. So you should try to balance out the amount of clubs you take and the work you do in freshman year to have the best freshman year you could ask for.

If you follow this advice, you could enjoy and great IB high school life and do very well throughout the years. Good luck!

Jessica Joseph

 

My experience at IB has been quite a roller coaster. Balancing so much work with friends, sleep, and extracurricular activities really is a daunting challenge that I still haven’t mastered. Some weeks are worse than others, and it can seem like there is no possible way to accomplish everything you’ve been handed. However, I’ve found that after getting through those seemingly impossible weeks, the sense of accomplishment and pride at not having given up makes it all okay. It is difficult to keep in mind that all this work now will (supposedly) lead to better careers and hopefully overall a better life, but without some underlying drive and sense of motivation, it’s difficult to remain optimistic and persevere. The importance of recognizing the incredible educational opportunities we’ve been given and taking advantage of those opportunities is key to being successful in IB.

To someone starting as a freshman, I would recommend not listening to all the hype about how you will never sleep and have no life. Sure, your amount of sleep will be cut down from the pleasant 9 hours of middle school to roughly 5 or 6 a night on average, but adjusting is natural. Habituating to less sleep is easy unless you keep complaining and thinking constantly about how much sleep you want. As to not having a social life, that isn’t always the case. Having friends who recognize that school has to come before fun is important, or you could be influenced to slack off. Make sure your priorities are in order and stay that way. If you’re going to be primarily dedicated to one of those crazy sports that are basically in season all year round and have long practices often, it just isn’t going to be possible to keep up with school and that sport. This might cause you to cut corners in some classes, but there are some things that should definitely be avoided at all costs. Cheating of course is just wrong, but something else that should be avoided is being lazy in the classes that you’re going to have to build your knowledge on in successive years. In foreign languages especially this seems to be crucial.

No matter how many tips someone has, adjusting to everything IB throws at you takes time and a personalized approach. So the best advice would be general advice saying have realistic expectations of what you can and can’t do, but work hard and keep in mind that these four years will probably affect the rest of our lives. Do well, but maintain a certain level of happiness. A healthy distraction to relieve stress like a sport, friends, or reading can be incredibly helpful. In the end, four years of life out of about 80 probable years is insignificant, so just get through it and the benefits will be enough to make it worth it.

Alexis Alvarez

 

Dear Freshmen,

You have just begun a journey that you will never forget. It will impact your life in both positive and negative ways. I don’t think that I can recommend leaving or staying in the IB program. Staying in and watching so many of my fellow peers dropout I can say that I’ve seen the ramifications of both alternatives. If you decide to stay in the program you will most definitely have a sense of pride about yourself. I would have to say that you will be able to think more analytically than others and that you will be exposed to various cultures and international ideas. If you drop out you will no doubt have more time on your hands. You will be able to relax on weekends and have a more extensive social life. This isn’t to say that following through with the program means that your social life will be non-existent. Okay, now that we’ve addressed that, I’ll go ahead and tell you about my experiences in the past four years.

In the ninth grade I wasn’t really involved in much around school, not many ninth graders are. Ninth grade was difficult, especially in comparison with middle school, however, it wasn’t too difficult to manage. Tenth grade was by far the most fun of my years in high school. I joined the cheerleading squad and the anchor club. I met tons of people and most definitely focused on my social life. My advice is to try to get involved in something, whether it be a sport or a hobby in or out of school. Time management that is super important in the eleventh and twelfth grade can be developed through that involvement. In tenth grade, in IB, you will have the opportunity to take two electives. I chose leadership and cooking, I would recommend doing the same, or taking classes that are not necessarily academic. You will find that you have time during those classes to work on the homework for your academic classes and your homework load will be significantly smaller than the year prior. The eleventh grade is quite different than the two years prior. The horror stories are more than true. But, good news! You have some time before the eleventh grade. And twelfth grade is pretty much the same.

So, you know what I did in the program and my basic thoughts about it. However, each and every student has a completely different experience, so don’t base your decisions or thoughts on the program before you have had the experiences for yourself. In the end, I’m glad that I followed through with the past four years. Would I do it again? Probably, yes.

Kaley Keen

 

Looking back at my life since entering the IB program, I must say that there are some things that would certainly have been helpful to know before entering. One thing is that it is important to get into the habit of playing sports in the first year, if that is what you plan on doing. Sports are an important part of IB as students must get action hours; but making the transition from not playing sports to playing sports when you have to can be a very difficult transition to make. I would suggest that, if you are going to play sports, to begin in freshman year, when it is easier.

Also, another important tip for IB is to LISTEN IN CLASS. I cannot stress how important this is. I have learned over the last three years that in order to understand something more fully, you have to listen in class while the teacher is explaining it. Some of the material is simply too difficult to teach to yourself when you’re on your own. If you attempt that, then you may be able to pass the test, but you have a much smaller chance of passing AP or IB tests, when it is more important to understand concepts than to memorize material.

Lastly, it is important to know the teachers. It helps immensely to be able to easily converse with the teachers at IB. Once you get to know them, they don’t seem to be almighty Greek gods or some other type of spiritual being, but they actually seem like normal people who can make MISTAKES (sometimes five of them). It’s also very handy to be able to talk to them about homework. If you don’t understand and they know you (as opposed to you just being another blank face who enters the room in second period), they may be able to realize where it is that you could have gone wrong and will better be able to aid you in your ultimate quest for knowledge.

Drew Koretchko

 

Dear Annika,

Assuming that you have already gotten into IB and that you are actually going to IB, I am writing this note to you (but I’m also writing this to all incoming IB freshman in general). Maybe one day freshman year you will venture over to Ms. Frisbie’s page of “Wise Words and Whatnot”, just like I did, and read through the webpages of advice written by former IB students. Most of it is very helpful, but for some reason, no matter how many times these letters say “DO NOT PROCRASTINATE” or “the worst is yet to come” or “biology is a ton of work” or “don’t stress out” you will not value these tips until you experience the program for yourself.

Congratulations for making it to this program. You will meet amazing people (and other organisms/things?) along your trek through IB – close friends, dedicated teachers and administrators, other classmates who share your enthusiasm for learning and nerdiness (hopefully…) whom you wouldn’t have met in any other high school (I don’t think you will find a social environment as academic as that of our school’s at any other in the school in the county, perhaps with the exception of Haines City IB), giant nasty cockroaches from within Bartow’s antiquated, asbestos-filled walls, plumbing that fails occasionally… The rich diversity you will find far outweighs the few stubborn weeds that may spring up along the way.

I’ve tried to write pros and cons from my major decisions in high school – what I like and dislike about what I’ve done for the past two years. The cons are not necessarily what I wish I had done or regretted I had not done, but more like observations. You might be able to use this commentary for advice or recommendations, but then again, you might not (after all, I am writing this letter the morning that it is due).

Cons: (what I ‘wish’ I had done)

-Started researching at the USF research lab freshman year. Not just research, but getting involved in a creative project early on is important. It not only will give you CAS hours (IB Juniors and Seniors are required to have 150 Creative, Action, and Service hours, collectively, by the time they graduate) and look good on college apps (from a superficial standpoint), but most importantly, it gives you an avenue to explore a specific field that you’re really interested in. Starting in 9th grade will give you four solid years to pursue whatever it is you’re doing (and you could very well continue working on it beyond high school).

-Built up a rich vocabulary by studying Gruber’s 4,000-word SAT list. Trying to memorize this list of words and their definitions in less than a year is quite difficult, albeit doable. Try to spread it out over a few years – you’ll probably learn more. For me, this was the one part of the SAT that I struggled most with, but don’t learn these words just for the SAT – they will definitely help you in daily life and in the years that follow high school. Of course, disregard this if you’re already a vocabulary guru.

-Involvement with leadership positions. If you ever decide to run for national office for FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), try to get involved at the state level as soon as possible, and join one of the national councils the year before you run.

-Spent less time worrying about completing homework assignments and maintaining high grades, and more time enriching myself as a person outside of school. There were so many instances this year when I spent time nit-picking on assignments and making sure I did my best; I really wish I had used some of that time to sleep instead (sleep IS important!) or do something that was enriching yet fun, out of my own free will – for instance, reading books, or the daily newspaper, or a cool monthly magazine or periodical (the Economist, Discover, Time…); or listening to music; or practicing the flute; or teaching myself subjects (that I never had the chance to learn at school) with MIT’s Open CourseWare…in short, staying au courant and culturally aware of my surroundings. I learned to let go a little once I realized there physically was no time to obsess over details – I also learned that having a strong work ethic is good, but being a perfectionist is not, especially in IB. You’re already 14 years of age; most of you reading this are. Based on the average human life expectancy in the US, about 80 years, you’ve already spent 17.5% of your life. Seventeen-point-five percent! That’s almost one-fifth! (Sorry to sound so depressing.) Do something you want to do; you only have 82.5% of your life left. Maybe that’s what I’m trying to get at. (But 82.5% is still a ton of time to have left to do something, considering what you’ve already done.)

Pros: (what I’m glad I did)

-Maintained really high grades during freshman and sophomore year. This was crucial to my success in eleventh grade. Because I kept my grades up my first two years in pre-IB, I trained myself for the workload that junior year would bring. I knew my grades would probably drop in at least two of the subjects I studied, so when they did begin to drop, I still had an A in the class without having to do more work than I had done the two years before. It made the transition from sophomore to junior year much smoother.

-Jumping out of the box. This year was the first year I really went out of my comfort zone. Although you may not feel like doing it at first, it’s definitely worth it – when else are you going to get the chance to wear wacky-tacky clothes or act out the role of a ‘gangsta’ in an original Canterbury Tale? (just wait ‘til you get to English junior year…) Reiterating my point about short life spans, you’re already a teenager, and you’re only a teenager once; and as Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “I dip my pen in the blackest ink, because I’m not afraid of falling into my inkpot.” Read the poem “George Gray” by Edgar Lee Masters for more insight.

-Taking AP courses during freshman and sophomore year. When you get to junior and senior year, nearly all of your classes will be AP/IB, so it helps to try to balance AP courses by taking AP electives in ninth and tenth grade and leaving junior and senior electives for less demanding classes.

-Applying to free or paid summer programs, such as RSI or TASP. Although I haven’t actually gone to one of these programs, I’ve heard they are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Plus, the essays you have to write for these applications are a good warm-up for college application essays. Even though some programs are very selective, applying will only increase your chances. It helps if you start writing these essays over the summer when you have more time – even if this year’s application may not be released yet, past application essay topics are usually very similar (even identical) to the current topics. Take advantage of the opportunities these organizations open up to you!

-A-team. I have made so many friends and learned so much random stuff from this activity. I do wish I had had a chance to peruse through the entire compendium of A-team facts, though…

-Taking on a leadership position. I climbed up the leadership ladder in FBLA, but you can lead in any other organization. I’ve learned how to communicate effectively, collaborate with others as part of a team, make decisions, and so much more, all skills that will be vital in the future.

-An outlet. For me, it was band/playing the flute, but it can be anything – just something that isn’t very stressful or rigidly academic.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something in this list. Please do not hesitate to ask me or any other IB student about anything – we’re more than willing to help. Middle school was rough for me; I think it was a rough time for a lot of people. High school has been absolutely amazing for me, and I hope it will be amazing for you as well. Good luck in high school, and remember to make the most out of whatever situation you may be in – that’s the difference “between planetary light and the combustion of stars” (E.B. White).

Love always,

Bianca Mulaney

 

Dear Freshman,

Congratulations on your acceptance into the International Baccalaureate Program! So as to aid in providing you with a realistic guide through your adventure in this school, I hope I will be helpful in providing some suggestions, as well as past experiences. Be ready, because you are about to delve into a vast sea of knowledge, and by sea, I really do insinuate a seemingly interminable swim; however, the study habits you develop and the effort you put into your schoolwork will most definitely pay off at the end of the day.

In freshman and sophomore year, simply strive to maintain good grades and establish pleasant study habits that suit your time, activities, and priorities. In Pre-IB, developing a comfortable GPA might help for the next two years, so you will want to do the best you can.

IB can be unbelievably stressful, and I sincerely believe that junior year is where most of this stress takes place. I suppose your personality also plays a role in contribution to stress. For instance, I have always had a rather unsatisfying tendency to focus on small details. Sure that can go by unnoticed the first two years of IB, but in junior year I soon found myself in a rather vicious cycle of battling with time, which by the laws of nature will always pass, and therefore will always prove victorious. As an elective for junior year I decided to take Chemistry, which along with Biology (which alone is very challenging) and every single other class, proved to be extremely difficult to handle. For calculus, make sure you do the reviews before the tests because they really help. Ms. Frisbie is probably the only teacher in the whole school who actually takes the time to create the answers for those review sheets in a such a way that you are actually understanding what is going on.

I would say that I didn’t understand the concept of sleep until this year, so please know that school performance is indeed dependent on the rest you receive. It is really necessary to let sleep be the escape from reality sometimes, especially those weeks where everything is happening at the same time and there’s no time on your schedule to breathe. Seriously, if you fall into the pitfall of forced sleeplessness due to excessive work overload, you might just become forgetful (like, I don’t know…forgetting where Florida, Georgia, and Alabama are on the United States Map for example…),  fatigued, stressed, and a wee bit more pessimistic than usual. On the bright side, the faster you understand your work habits and know how to push through the difficult weeks, the happier you will be. I continue to say that I have never really been unhappy at IB; In fact, the challenges make me excited and most of the time I can never feel more content. The teachers are wonderful and they really do care, so if you have a problem and need to discuss it with someone, a teacher might be the person to go to, especially if they know you very well. Be proud of yourself at all times for your achievements and the path you are already paving for success in the future.

Now, here are a couple secrets about how to get through BHS like a normal high school student. If you’ve been in this school for a while now, you’ll know exactly what I’m referring to when I speak of the two tiny double doors that lead from the bus ramp (and 800 hallways) to the courtyard. You can tell it has been specifically designed for a billion students to pass through all at once because small doors are just the most effective for efficient entrances/exits. Well when you’re standing there in the rather wide huddle of rather pushy students, there are a couple methods to get out of there quickly. You know how there’s always that one loud intimidating individual who screams and pushes himself/herself through? Well when this person’s on their rampage, I’ve observed how most others seem to shuffle to the side to avoid a stampede. THAT’S YOUR QUEUE TO BE EXTREMELY NINJA AND JUMP RIGHT BEHIND THE PERSON SO AS TO FOLLOW THEM THROUGH THE DOORS. It’s an extremely stupendous method, just try to be inconspicuous. And the cases vary widely. I was honked at once, which at the time I thought was extremely peculiar. I mean maybe social custom has changed in my time at IB so that honking is the new form of “HEY, YOU CAN YOU JUST MOVE IT!?” Or maybe the girl was indirectly sympathizing with me about how my backpack is as large and heavy as a car, which would explain the honking and all.

Here’s the thing. You can make IB what you want it to be. You can make it an adventure or you can make it a burden. Surprisingly, after I’m done talking about it to my cousins for example, suddenly they all want to go to IB. I guess in that way IB is my adventure.

Have fun and study hard!

Jude Nawlo

 

My Advice to a Freshman

Dear Freshman,

You may have entered IB earning straight A’s for the past eight years in grade school, but you will quickly realize that earning an A is tougher in IB. So, don’t be shocked if you actually receive B’s and C’s. During your first two years in high school, things are fairly easy. There’s a reason why they call it pre-IB. Enjoy it while you can. Work becomes more challenging in your junior and senior years when your schedule is stacked with AP and IB classes. You will definitely feel ten times more stressed as a junior and senior than the stress you will experience as a freshman or sophomore. If you can’t handle the stress as a freshman or a sophomore, you should definitely drop out. Keep your priorities straight by defining your goals. You can have a challenging schedule or take an easier route depending on electives, whether you take Biology or Physics for science, or whether you take Calculus or Math Studies for math in junior and senior years.  You should also spend more time focusing on your science, math, and history classes.

Be ready for the work you will face during this IB program. Expect countless hours of homework, challenging quizzes or tests or maybe even “quests”, and projects. So, manage your time wisely for homework, extracurricular activities, and volunteering. One method of reducing all-nighters, and most importantly stress, is to split up the work by creating earlier deadlines for yourself so that you can spend one day completing a worksheet or essay and then actually study the day before a test. However, carrying out this method proves to be very difficult since we all have an element of procrastination; it’s just human nature. You should have the mentality of “always thinking one step ahead, like a carpenter…that makes stairs (Andy from the Office).” Being prepared for anything is a key to being successful in IB.

On the upside, there are fun moments since your teachers are amazing and can make classes interesting. Looking back at my experience in IB over the four years, I feel accomplished because of all the work I have completed and all the valuable knowledge I have gained that I can use in the future. Going through IB will be a rewarding experience although you may not know all of the benefits you receive until after you finish IB.

Prashil Patel

 

To avoid hating life in general during your time at IB, I suggest keeping an interest in learning. Starting out as freshmen, all doe-eyed (but probably not too innocent — kids these days) with your backpacks correctly adjusted specific to your height, you’re probably ready to learn new things (excited even). Aside from the “boring” class periods, paying attention isn’t too hard  and class is generally interesting; however, this will plateau. You’ll wake up one day, completely apathetic to the world at large (let alone school at the very smallest). This apathy blinds you to anything that is within an inch of being attention-worthy (much like waves barely outside of the visible light spectrum are indeed invisible) — which down the line just causes your grade to drop.

If you never get that apathy, though — if you find importance in even the smallest thing in your classes, school won’t be so bad. Keep your eagerness to get to class in the morning and the homework will just fly by. The school days will fly by. The semester will fly by (without the usual overwhelming feeling). I’m more of a history person, I plan on not involving calculus or biology in my everyday life if I can help it in the future — so the only reason why I’m passing those classes is because I’m genuinely interested in them.

Sure, this is just learning for learning’s sake. Sure, I’m wasting memory space on the photosynthesis equation when I could be memorizing all of the lines to Spice World. But think of it this way — if you get on Jeopardy, who’ll be laughing then? If you’re in a group of… less intelligent people, how else will you  impress them and/or become the leader of that group to give you a leg up on world domination? If you’re in a group of intelligent people, how else will you join their group to finally be in a gang and practice your evil laugh without IB? IB prepares you for exams, for college, and for relatively specific, hypothetical situations — appreciate your time here!

Christina Keefer

 

Freshmen,

Be prepared. IB is monstrous at times, but it can be survived! There are just a few things that you have to do, and start doing early, before sophomore year, so that you can be successful. Here are just a few things I recommend:

– Get all A’s

You should already want them, so this shouldn’t be too hard. As long as you try, that is. The only major danger of freshman year is getting lazy and slacking on your work. But if you try really hard, all A’s is pretty easy to get. Firstly, don’t look at Facebook. Like, at all. It’s a giant timesuck, and you will never ever get out of it once you start. I mean, you’ll get on, see a friend, chat, look at someone’s pictures, etc., etc., etc. — now it’s 8:30 at night had you haven’t done anything! Tisk, tisk! Now you’ll get like 3 hours of sleep, but that just won’t do. You have a test tomorrow morning — F-lunked! Forgot some homework because you were tired — ha ha! Aw , that’s just too bad! Facebook is the enemy during school nights. Also, just not using the internet is probably effective, too. Now, I bet this sounds awful — no friends, no fun, boo hoo. Get over it. If you want to be in IB, you already chose good grades over social life, stop complaining.

You also need to take a break after school. Like, an hour-long TV break or something to wind down before homework, or your work won’t be quality. But after your break, you should be ready to go!

– Don’t get too ambitious with your extracurricular activities!

I know, you want to play football, soccer, and baseball. Don’t — you will lose at everything! Doing too many afterschool activities will use up precious homework and study time. You need to concentrate on building up your GPA instead of your win/loss record. This should be pretty obvious, but many people seem to forget that sports and such take a lot of time!

– Don’t underestimate the sciences!

You have bio all year long now. AND you have an AP science class. These two classes will take you more time than most of your other classes combined! The worksheets for Bio are brutal, while the vocab for APES is just awful. You will need several hours to complete one of the two, and another night to complete the other. These will always be your most difficult classes, so plan accordingly!

Although these pieces of advice seem trivial and obvious, many people end up forgetting these obvious facts and suffer for it. As such, I advise you to keep these pieces of advice in mind, so that you can keep your grades up and bring your success with you into the following years.

Ben Patterson

 

Freshman year of IB is by far one of the easiest. I used my time to slack off and basically do nothing; however, if I could go back in time and do my freshman year over again, I’d have actually worked harder (it also helps to work hard that year because it boosts your cumulative GPA for colleges to see). Just because colleges focus a lot on your junior and senior year grades doesn’t mean you can essentially do nothing your freshman and sophomore years.

In addition to not working diligently, procrastination will be the death of you. Trust me, I am a veteran procrastinator. In fact, I’m writing this essay during lunch so I can turn it in before school ends. I swear, all of the work you put off will catch up to you at some point and there will be nothing you can do but watch your grades do the limbo (how low can they go?!). if you’re like me and always have to turn something in (I can’t just take a zero for not doing an assignment), then it would be your best bet to get things over with ahead of time.

Your social life will suffer a bit, but in the long run I think it’s worth it (completing all four years of the programme). Sometimes I think of the “what ifs”: what if I don’t get my diploma? What if I don’t finish my CAS hours? What if I don’t pass this AP test? Once you start questioning these topics, you’ll realize that you need to pick up your slack (why would you even be questioning these things in the first place if your grades are perfect?) Also, in the middle of all this stress, it’s nice to take some time out of your schedule to plan/do something you like. The girls in our class have planned a dress day for this Friday (the last day of exams). Not only does it boost your self-esteem a bit, in the words of Dr. Douglas, “If you look good, you feel good.” In short, don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t procrastinate. The end.

Kyna Patel

 

To the new freshmen,

Welcome to the International Baccalaureate.  You are about to embark on one of the most unique high school experiences.  The IB is the best high school in Florida, so congratulate yourself you are here!  Now you have probably heard the horror stories about IB: all nighters, no social life, and immeasurable amounts of stress.  Having survived four years of IB, I can say that while some of the stories are true, IB is not horrible and is a fantastic experience.  To survive the IB, I will leave you with some words of advice.

Firstly, whatever you do, do not procrastinate. Yes, probably everyone will tell you this, but take them seriously. Procrastinators end up pulling all nighters and working on EE’s, IA’s, EA’s, and labs at four in the morning.  This is not fun. Although IBers like to brag about how late they stayed up, they regret the lack of sleep later.  It is easy to organize your time, for many others and I have never had to pull nighters.  Surviving is possible.

Secondly, no matter the stress and work, just enjoy your years at IB.  IB friends are the best you can have, for they are the only ones you can call, text, or find on facebook nearly anytime of the night.  You will meet all kinds of interesting people at IB, students and teachers alike.  You have the opportunity to take classes like, Theory of Knowledge with Mr. Guice, which is the most interesting course you will take, and will probably make you a skeptic.  You will learn how to write proper essays, polish your syntax, and read memorable books with Mrs. Harb, Mr. Guice, Ms. Smith, and Mrs. Delk.  Math will come from Mr. Garrison (Geometry), Naki (Algebra II), and should you choose the Calculus path, Ms. Frisbie, who will give you candy if you catch her mistakes. You will learn history from Mr. Wright, Mr. Goss (who will burn your house down), and Mr. Shuff (who will teach you more about Latin America history and with it your IA).  For science, you will choose your path.  I chose Physics. Best advice to pass AP and IB: individual studying.

Despite the stress, I have loved the IB program and the family that has been formed here.  Contrary to popular opinion, we have free time, go to parties, and hang out with friends outside of school.  So most importantly have a blast at IB and stay in the program because it’s worth it.

Good luck,

Katy Piotrowski

 

Dear Freshmen,

Congratulations on getting in. The next two years are just the beginning, so don’t use up your complaining quotient just yet, save some up for the junior and senior year (when you will have earned the right to complain).

This is different from your middle school, where you were at the top of the class and getting by with doing barely any homework. To stay in the top in IB requires quite a bit more work, and there are only so many spots in that Top 10, so do not cry yourself to sleep when you won’t find your name on that list; remember this — you’re in IB, and that is an accomplishment in itself. Not saying you shouldn’t try to make it to the list, though. That said, remember this, too — its not for everyone. I personally enjoy the challenge (yeah, nerdy, but I’ve learned to embrace it), and don’t find the work overall too stressful (save for a select number of weeks each year). However, I can say with confidence that I am in the minority with this “its-not-stressing-me-out” type perspective. People have breakdowns. People cry from frustration of never having enough time to do everything. People stay up all night, studying. People end up sleeping in class (please don’t do this, respect your teachers). People tend to drop some extracurriculars. If you can’t handle all that, don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with you. Consider dropping, but evaluate everything very carefully before you do — do you KNOW you will be better off without IB? Will you keep yourself disciplined to keep doing rigorous work, work at your intelligence level, in the relaxed environment of a “normal” public school? I know some people that have dropped that are completely happy with their decision; not all of them are. You have to look into yourself, and decide what’s important to you, and whether you will regret this or not.

Alright, getting carried away here. Ah, another big thing, especially in the beginning — parents. Best of luck to you as you try to explain to your parents that you will not always have perfect grades. It is an important point to keep reiterating to them, so they will not freak out when you get your first B in Biology or something. Ask them not to e-mail teachers about the tiniest faults in your grades. Take care of matters like these yourself, it is a valuable skill. YOU are earning the grades, YOU are responsible for turning in assignments and not losing them. YOU should talk to your teachers about everyday school stuff like that, not your parents. Let your parents know of what you’re doing with your grades and assignments, how you’re handling things, but let them know you are handling it. If there’s a big problem, by all means, get a parent involved. But a 96 in Biology is NOT a problem at all (based on a true story, I have heard of parents freaking out over As not high enough). Remember that, some teachers get very annoyed at this. It should be noted that I’m saying that parents shouldn’t be so strict on the grades, I’m not saying you should let yourself slack. Strive for the best, but be rational in expectations for yourself. Again, no crying yourself to sleep over a B, ok?

No one class can be said to have required more attention/work than others — do your best in everything you attempt. Its a matter of personal satisfaction, really. Sure, some classes are harder than others (Biology and Calculus, for example), so you might want to spend some more time on those, but it doesn’t mean you should blow off English or your foreign language class. Also, saying “I don’t like/understand/care about this class” is not a good enough reason for leaving homework undone or not paying attention. It will come back to haunt you with a lower grade, and ultimately, your IB grade, which ends up being, in some ways, more important than your report cards. Try to pay attention starting now, take notes, physical or mental, on things you learn. Even in senior year, I end up coming back to my freshman year Bio notes (trust me, refreshing your memory on basic enzyme function by using an example of phosphofructokinase that is provided in senior year notes does not really help all that much). Everything you do here counts, it piles up into what you know by the end of senior year.

So this is turning out really lengthy, but I wanted to address one more aspect of IB. In my opinion, it is one of the most important ones — the relationships you build. They’re not kidding when they say IB is like a family. As you get further and further into the program, you will be more distanced from, say, your old friends from middle school or church or somewhere else, but you build incredible friendships with people in your class. Why? Because, like my classmate said, in our last ToK discussion, we go through the same adversities, same hardships, and that, inadvertently, brings us closer. People outside of IB seldom truly, fully understand what is happening to you as you’re struggling with the program, which is precisely the reason you become more attached to those that DO understand, namely your classmates. And yes, most likely there will be cliques (although our tiny class managed to avoid that, for the most part), but you will always, always be understood by someone in your class. Sort of a cliche thing to say, and as ToK teaches you, nothing is truly for certain, but here it goes — I’m fairly certain the people I’ve made friends with in IB will be my friends for years to come. We’ve been having discussions on whether IB is really worth it — you know what the most popular answer was? “The workload is hard and I could have gotten better grades in a normal public school, but the people here make it worth it.”

So, welcome, dear Freshmen. Welcome to very late nights spent studying. Welcome to the worst struggles and the best times of your life so far. Welcome to amazing friends and amazing teachers. Welcome to IB.

Good luck!

Sasha Chopenko

c/o 2011

P.S. You know, this letter is nearly 1000 words long, it is 10 pm, and I should be studying for my English midterm. Another thing IB does to you — you take breaks from homework or studying by doing other homework. Twisted, isn’t it?

 

Dear New IB Freshman,

Hello. I am a currently a senior at the IB school in Bartow, which you are now attending as a freshman. The IB school is a difficult school that will force you to spend more time studying than you have been use to, but do not get discouraged. The best thing to do is quickly learn to manage your time. Do not wait until the last minute to do an assignment, not matter how easy it may be. If you get into the habit now, as a Freshman, it will be a lot easier for you when you start getting into the tougher classes. Be very careful your first two years in the IB program, if you think it is hard you may want to go ahead and leave the program because your junior and half the senior year will be terrible. I do not believe that there is any subject that I would emphasize studying in. When you find out which classes are standard level—math and language classes for example—and which classes are higher level—history, English, and science—definitely pay more attention in the higher level classes. That is not to say to not study for the tests and such in your standard level classes, but to try to learn as much as possible and retain as much information as possible in the higher level courses. The better you do in the higher level courses the better, because the tests at the end of your senior year can balance each other out, but if you fail a higher level course you do not receive the diploma. At least that is what I kept hearing as a senior, I am not completely sure on how the IB points work out.

Your first two years in IB will seem like normal honors class, with a little extra homework, but nothing too bad. This can fool you, it will not stay that way. When you hit your junior year in IB you will begin to learn about Internal and External Assessments for IB, such as you Extended Essay, English and Spanish/French Orals, and Essays for each subject (just about). These assignments are long and require much of your time, but for the most part to do not count toward your class grade. These assignments go to your IB grade which determines whether or not you receive the IB diploma, so do not slack off on them. These assignments are the reason that I tell you to start getting use to managing your time with school work now, otherwise you will be cramped for time on these assignments and may even have to skip out on less important assignments in order to get the “IB” assignments in on time. One of the best things you can do for yourself in order to have extra time for these assignments is to take Mrs. Delk’s research class, or if you cannot take this class because of scheduling take Teacher’s Assistant (TA) or an easy PSC class to give yourself free time at school.

At the end of your sophomore year, when it comes time to pick which science you are going to take, chose wisely. If you want to learn something and pass the AP and IB tests, do not choose physics—unless Mr. Webb is not the teacher. He does not do an adequate job teaching the material and it can be very difficult to understand when trying to read it from the book, plus he is a push over that does not really care if you do not participate in class, which makes not paying attention really easy. If you take Biology, you will probably learn something, but it will consume most of your time. Chemistry, I cannot tell you much about, no one took it in my grade level because the teacher was not a good teacher, but this year he retired and there is a new teacher and I do not know if she is good or not, so definitely pay attention your first two years when you take each of these subjects.

Kerrianne Hippely

 

Dear incoming freshman,

If you decide to stay in IB, I guarantee you it will go by much more quickly than you can imagine. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about advice to give to IB kids is to stop worrying about things that won’t be important ten years from now. I hear complaints every day from kids who suggest that their teachers are insane and they would be happier in normal, mediocre classes. Don’t let yourself be that person. You don’t have to be a “William” or a “Macey,” but you’d be a lot happier if you convinced yourself that you enjoy the work your teachers give you.

The fact is that most of the IB dropouts I know fight the regret that they gave up on one of the biggest challenges they had ever thought about approaching. I have a number of challenges to get  through before graduation (I have two more essays and a history chapter tonight, for instance), and I already feel very accomplished. Those who aren’t happy with themselves at this point probably think too much about grades. I got my first C in junior-year English, but my English skills have always blown, and thanks to that class I actually learned to appreciate poetry (well, more than before).

So, take this opportunity to grow up a little and realize that your grades, test scores, and even the colleges you get into don’t matter nearly as much as the skills that you pick up from your experiences. Decide what you want to do with your life and work hard because you want to be good at what you do. If you do that, don’t be surprised if good grades seem to come out of nowhere and colleges begin sending you delicious chocolate gift baskets.

Good luck,

Cameron Johnson

 

Dear freshman (or to whomever cares to read this),

I would love to tell you that you will find some redeeming quality about this program that will make it all worth it, but it varies too much per experience. I think you learn a lot about yourself and that in itself is valuable knowledge.

Pitfalls to avoid: procrastination, depression, self-pity, complaining, and worrying. None of these things will help you achieve in this program. They all lead to a souring of your attitude and negativity does not typically win friends. Also, stress about grades. No joke. Not every IB student gets into their number one school — only the ones with the 4.4+ GPAs can really choose the Ivy League school of their dreams. Getting great grades the first couple years is important because the material and workload gets harder as the program progresses and by having straight A’s the first couple years, you will have a cushion for possibly worse grades later on.

If I could redo the program or tell myself something at the start, I would recommend exploring your class options thoroughly; talk to upperclassmen and ask them about classes and teachers and get an idea of the class before joining it (or using it as your HL science!). They can provide a very clear description — so listen. If a senior tells you that there is a lot of work and not a great chance of passing the exam, do not ignore them and take the class anyway. Obviously, analyze your sources and ask them about their schedules, study habits, extracurriculars and grades to determine commonalities and see if a class they have taken would be right for you.

Study everything. Not solely for the harder classes, but every class. You want to commit all the information you can to memory. The knowledge you gain builds. If you’re only memorizing the knowledge short-term, you will not be able to make the same connections as you progress through the years. For example, I just realized (this morning) how the distance formula, vectors, and triangles are all interconnected and how well physics and calculus complement each other. Had I memorized the distance formula instead of exclusively learning it for tests, I would have seen the connection my sophomore year! Oh well, live and learn. I hope this was of some help. Good luck

Jackie Owen

 

Heller There Freshies,

As I am sitting here trying to think of what to say to you guys, I have had the time to reflect upon my own high school experience in the IB program. Despite what you may think or have heard about IB, it is not all that bad. You may believe that IB will consume your whole life, but it really won’t. Yeah we have some nights in IB where the homework is crazy ridiculous, you just have to learn how to stop stressing over it. My high school experiences were awesome when I stopped stressing everything so much.  Joining as many clubs and activities that I could helped keep my mind off of all the stress that I was going to, so I recommend that you stay active in school.

The biggest and more valuable piece of advice that I could give u is DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!! It will be the death of you in IB because you will develop these habits early on. When those habits are constantly practiced you will begin to think that you can procrastinate on everything, even projects, but you cannot so you are actually screwing yourself over. I recommend that you stay on top of your game during the first semester of your senior year. When it comes to the big IB papers you really need to make sure that you do not get behind, because when you do, it is hard to catch up. Speaking of staying on top of your game, you MUST use your time wisely. As hard as it may be, you must separate yourself from all distractions such as the TV, facebook/social networks, and texting. Once you do that, doing homework will take less time to accomplish.

To me, the most important classes that you MUST study for are Biology, History, and of course Calculus. These classes are hard to take tests if you have no clue about what you are talking about. If Mrs. Kennon ever gives you extra credit….DO IT RIGHT WHEN SHE GIVES IT TO YOU. It will help your grade.

Okay, I’m done now; just enjoy your high school experience as much as you can. Do not hesitate to make as many friends and join as many clubs as you can. Those friends and clubs will keep you sane in this crazy little program that we call IB. Your class will become your family, so make the best of it.

Okie Dokie then, Good Luck,

Janelle Botardo

 

Dear Incoming IBers,

Hey! So I had a defining moment of IB today that I feel is applicable to this essay. My fourth period calculus was just sitting down getting ready to review for our upcoming semester exam. We were all feeling pretty good, knowing that we had accomplished a lot the past few nights, what with all our cramming and all. But we all knew we had no assignments hanging over our head. That is until Ms. Frisbie reminded us “Don’t forget you have the essay due before the end of the day tomorrow” and there was a collective “OOOOOOO YEAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!” This moment of realization will come to you about 79432 more times in the next few years. So, here I am, sitting on my bed taking a break from my last minute cramming to enjoy writing this essay. (It really is enjoyable actually, I find it quite funny.) I am now going to give you a list of advice and helpful tips that you will probably not ever even read let alone follow. But hey, the grade for me is to write it not for you to read it. Although looking back I would just like to say, I’ve read essays from previous years and if I had just listened, I would have been so much better off. HINT HINT HINT HINT HINT  ¬ ¬ ¬

OK here it is. I’m gonna break it down into subjects, not grades 🙂 :

RILEYS QUICK TIPS FOR THE MORE CHALLENGING CLASSES

Language: OK, I am in French. I know nothing about Spanish. I can only count up to 10. If you would like to learn tips for Spanish, see the majority of my senior class’s essays. For French, when you get to junior year and enter Mrs. Dietert’s class and she begins talking in nothing but French, don’t look around the room looking stupid. Nobody else understands her either. What she is saying is not written somewhere on the walls. You just have to listen for a few months. It’ll get better. I promise.

TOK: Your experience in TOK will begin junior year. It will officially prove that you can question every dang thing in your life, and basically ensure that you will therefore begin to doubt every dang thing in your life. TOK is amazing.

English: I do not care what grade you are in. Read the darn books they assign you. Don’t ask a friend right before class if there is a reading check quiz. THERE WILL BE. You can save yourself the worry and the ink out of your printer from printing out summaries by just reading the book. Also, if there are journal questions assigned to you, please do them. You will thank me, and every other senior that is undoubtedly saying the same thing.

Math: Follow the path you think is right for you. When it comes time to decide what math to take, think about it. Do not pick just because your friend is taking that class. It’s your decision.

Science: I am a biology student. Therefore, I have spent many more waking hours than those that have chosen the path of, oh I don’t know, PHYSICS. But I would never choose anything other than biology. It is a great class that I actually enjoy, although my report card says otherwise.

History: Once again, grade does not apply. READ THE HISTORY BOOK. Seriously. Read it. Ok that is all. Oh, side note: yes Shuff really does have that many notes, and yes you are expected to know his address from when he was 3 years old.

In my past years as an IB student I have learned many things about myself and the world in general. I have learned that many large projects CAN in fact be completed from midnight to 5 in the morning. I have learned that the human body does not in fact need a full 8 hours of sleep to survive. I have learned that 3 square meals a day is not very important and frequent snackage will suffice instead. I have learned many silly facts in the past four years. But I have also learned things that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I have accomplished more than I ever thought possible of myself. I now know the importance of a family outside of a family. The other 41 people in my graduating class have stuck it out through the end, and I would not trade my relationship with them for anything in the world. I would not trade my education at this school for anything in the world. As you are beginning your journey of this school, do not think of it as the impending disaster you think it will be. Embrace it, and be ready to change your life forever.

Riley Clark

Class of 2011

 

Dear incoming freshman

Welcome to the International Baccalaureate family! And know it or not yet, you are a family, and these people who endure it alongside you will become your brothers and sisters. You may not yet fully realize the impact that this choice will have upon your future, but you will in the coming years; when a biology lab keeps you from sleeping at all one night, or you have to decide whether you want to sleep or study for your calculus final (i.e. right now), you will look back on your choice to be involved in IB and cringe. However much we despise it now, though, IB is as much a part of us as we are of it, and I, for one, could not envision myself enrolling in any other high school, and whether you end up getting your diploma or not, it is generally worth it in the end (although having the diploma sure is nice…).

As an incoming freshman myself once, I was overwhelmed with the prospect of entering this reportedly tough school, and I wished that people would have told me what to expect and what not to do. Well, this is it! First off, don’t cheat!!! It really isn’t worth it. Risking getting expelled over one 10 point assignment or to get a B instead of a C on a test is just stupid, and if you do it, you deserve to be kicked out. Just saying. Another piece of advice is try not to procrastinate. Seriously, take it from one who’s done it with varying success… You may be able to pull it off in middle school, and maybe even freshman and sophomore year (like me), but once you reach the real IB junior year, this will NOT work anymore. I’m not saying you can’t procrastinate (I’m not vain enough to think that I should tell you how to live your life) but it will really help you to develop good habits in this area, which will aid you now and in college. Another piece of advice is sleep when you can! Seriously, sleep is a valuable commodity that some kids would gladly trade their right arm for, and I am only exaggerating slightly… Sleep is much more important than staying up on facebook is, or texting your “significant other”. And finally, when you’re in IB, don’t try to overwork yourselves, it’s not worth getting a panic attack early junior year because you can’t cope with 5 AP classes and an IB class or two, relax, take a relatively easy course such as the medical classes, or band, or dance. This will make your lives SO much easier, and the benefit from not taking another AP course far outweighs the benefits of taking the AP course, especially if you’re so overworked that you fail the AP exam.

There, that’s over. Now you can stop reading me ramble on about what to do or not do, and you get to decide for yourselves. IB really is quite challenging, but if you don’t overwork yourselves, don’t take it too seriously, and make some good friends along the way, it really won’t be too bad, and once it’s over, you’ll be wishing you had just one more year left… If you only take one thing from this essay, let it be this; IB was probably the best choice I have ever made in my life, and I sincerely hope that you endure it as well and become part of the legacy that is the International Baccalaureate at Bartow Senior High School.

Todd Lockwood

 

Dear freshman,

There are several pieces of advice I would give to you as you are starting your high school career at BHS/IB, one of  which is don’t procrastinate.  This advice alone will let you sleep more and seem more prepared for tests and exams.  Also asking questions whenever you have them will help you greatly since you’ll actually know how to work with the topic and therefore you can do your assignments easier and score higher on tests.

There are some possible pitfalls which can seriously mess you up and may affect you the rest of your high school career.  One of them is to prioritize and always be ready since a teacher could always throw a pop quiz at you and if you’re having trouble in that subject, you’re not going to do well.  This means you should prioritize and balance your studying so you are prepared for anything.  Also I would recommend not trying to wake up early and finish your homework before school, since you might fall asleep during class and that’s counterproductive and also you might not have enough time before school to finish your homework.

Your classes will need a lot of attention to prepare for and the work will take up a lot of your time, but some classes need more attention than others.  The classes that needed more focus from me are English and French, mostly because I’m more of a math and science oriented person; however you may be the complete opposite and be great at English but not at math.  This means you should focus more on the subjects that trouble you more, but don’t forget the other subjects since all your classes will challenge you.

Good Luck

AJ Greenhill

 

So, im a Junior at IB… and my name is joe bacon. Haha, i know bacon. Well, ive heard all the names and im almost 99.9% sure that none of you will read these but hey, i am required to write it anyway. Therefore, as a freshman.. pretty much take advantage of those classes. It has gotten a lot harder for you guys in teh past year as compared to us who had it pretty easy. ALso, if you get asked to move up math.. do it. Quit being a nance and just take on the courses. itll help you later and open up your schedule and then you can brag and finish portfolios early and what not when youre not having fun going through senoritis. Also, get into sports or seomthing you love and dont give it up. Too many times have i seen my classmates fall out of the things they love for school. I refuse to do this because soccer is my haven. I go play when im stressed or angry and it helps. On the other hand dont obsess over it and start doign poorly. Realize school is first but the hobby is something you dont want to giev up.

Trust me, ive expereinced pit falls. This semester i recieved my first B… i know, typical IB nerd.. well yeah. I do very well in school and the reason i recieved the B was i was doing to much and didnt want to devote my time i know i needed to school. I could have gotten all A’s and intend to for the rest of my highschol career. I have/had a girldfriend, club soccer 3 nights a week, highschool soccer every night and other activites such as community service and what not. SO, you should devote your time to schoool because youre here for a reason, you are the elite. Also, dont suck. Thats all.

Depending on what youre good at you can study differently. Dont choose your science or your sith subject based on your friends or how easy the teachers are (although i stronly discourage taking chem [the new teacher is not nice and crazy and the class is very hard]) but if you want to be an engineer, take physics. You should study what ever youre not good at and get really good grades so you dont have to try on exams like Calc and Precalc. It is handy when studying for other subjects taht you need that grade it. So all in all, dont suck and get good grades and have fun. Dont lose your life or friends from school. I know this punctuation/grammar/spelling is atrochis (look here badddddd) but its 1 in the morning and im being a true IBer. OFff to study english.

Joe Bacon.

 

Dear IB Freshman,

So you went through elementary and middle school with great grades. You barely had to study and life was easy. Now you’re in IB and it hits you like cold, hard slap in the face. All of a sudden you’ve got Mythology Test! Biology worksheet! Government reading! Math problems! And you’re wondering – what the heck happened?

I know exactly what that’s like, I’ve been there. Everyone in IB has (even if they won’t admit it). One minute it’s a breeze and now you’re here.

Well, I have some good news for you. You can do it. Just by being here you have the potential to see this program through to the end and do well. They wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t smart. Keep that in mind when it seems darkest.

My grandfather has always said “never be afraid to work hard”. I didn’t understand what that really meant until I got into IB. You get a kind of leaden, sick feeling when you know that you have to sit down and write that English essay or read that whole Economics chapter. You don’t want to do it. You’re going to be faced with some tough times in IB. Dr. Vetter warns every potential student that this is not an easy program and he’s not kidding. Still, if you face that reluctance down, if you refuse to let procrastination and fear get in your way, you will succeed. It takes a weird kind of courage and a lot of determination, but you can do it.

But enough about all the hard stuff. I want to tell you about the fun parts of IB. (Yes they exist.) Since the classes are so small, you really form a tight bond with everybody. You’re all commiserating your shared workload and sleeplessness. You turn into a little family. It’s a lot better than having to face it alone.

You’ll have some really AWESOME teachers, too. In my opinion, 10th grade, (which will be here before you know it) is the best year. You’ve got two electives. You’ll meet the hilarious and wonderful Mr. Guice, who’ll be your English teacher. You’ll have Naki or Frisbie, both of whom are great teachers and very funny. Mr. Wright teaches World History; he’ll show you Kung-Fu movies and Bollywood films. It’s a great time.

So, yeah. Remember, you can do it. You have the potential, you just have to find the drive to keep going and stick with it. Remember that graduating from an IB school, particularly THIS IB school, which was ranked 3rd best school in the nation before we were combined with Bartow, will get you places. Colleges and employers really take notice and they will reward you for all the hard work you’ve done. Take things one day at a time and before you know it you’ll be a Senior like me, wondering where the past four years went.

Good luck and happy learning,

Caroline Bresnan

 

Dear Incoming IB Victim,

I regret to inform you that the next 4 years of your life will be living “place that must not be named”. It’s real important to adhere to the advice I am about to give you. Many IB students have attempted to learn and receive this inside knowledge but my friend, you will be the first. Your only job is to spread this word like wild fire so that all who enter into IB have the advantage that you are about to receive. So grab your stress ball and put on your glasses cause I’m about to reveal the secrets of IB.

First off, freshman year is a BREEZE! Do not start complaining now. Biology will most likely kick your butt but do not fear, it will teach you good and necessary skills that will come in handy later on. If you are a math nerd then you will have the infamous Glenn Nakamura or a.k.a Naki. Naki is not a strict teacher but he expects all of your work to be done. If you are a “normal” math student then you will have Mr. Garrison. Don’t worry too much about this class. But still take it seriously because in two years you will need to know A LOT about geometry. Also, take English seriously because it will help you to learn good skills that will most definitely be used in your junior year. Oh side note, DO NOT PUT OFF JOURNAL QUESTIONS! You will know what I am talking about later on. The classes that you should try the hardest at are Biology, Algebra II, AP Environmental Science (APES), and English. If you follow my advice, your freshman year will be a change from middle school but hopefully not too difficult.

You’re still not allowed to complain in your sophomore year. If you thought freshman year was easy, wait till you hit your sophomore year. In this year of your high school journey, you get to meet Mr. Guice and Ms. Frisbie. These people are legends! Do not sass Ms. Frisbie, she will wreck you with words you do not even understand and she will tell you false stories that sound extremely convincing but try not to fall for them. Ms. Frisbie teaches IB Math SL and she is probably the best teacher I’ve ever had. And I’m not brown nosing. Mr. Guice is the craziest, goofiest, and most loveable teacher you will have. Physics will be a very easy class and it will become the running joke of IB. No offense to the teacher but it’s a very difficult class that is made ridiculously easy. Chemistry is somewhat complicated but you’re either good at it or you’re not. Also, you will get to take AP World History. That means you get to have Mr. Mohler and Mr. Wright. Buy a review book for this class! For your elective, I suggest you take AP Statistics with Naki. It’s not too difficult but it’s a good AP class to take so that you can get the weighted credit. If you ever feel stressed, try doing sports. Sports are a great outlet for stress and it keeps you in shape. Other than that, just take it easy while you can because next year will be a whole new story.

I’m sure you can figure things out from here on. Just find some extracurricular activity that can occupy yourself and relieve some stress. Hold on to your friends as well! They will help you through IB. Believe in yourself as well. Don’t give up. Even when it seems as though dropping out is the only way, hang on. The reward will out weight the price. Good luck!

Your friend and peer

Corey Craig

 

Dear Freshmen,

I would like to start out this letter by wishing you good luck in that you complete your four years of high school here and you receive your IB diploma. Starting out with such a big class, I know that many of you will drop out of the program but I urge you to look at what IB has to offer you. Looking back at my four years, I remember so many inside jokes within classes, strange sleep-deprived ramblings (where everyone in the grade is tired and the conversations just get weird), and a lot of that’s what she said jokes.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to not stress out. There will be many days where you will have so much homework due or so many tests due that it seems impossible to complete but it is important to remember to just calm down, take a deep breath and get down to work. At the end of the year, one test or one essay does not count for that many points in a class. Take Mrs. Kennon’s advice and have a cup of tea.

Do Not Procrastinate. I have spent all four years procrastinating my work and just ignoring it until it’s past midnight the night before it is due and I can tell you that it is in your best interest to just get it done. I’m sure Ms. Frisbie remembers me sitting in 5th period PreCalculus, scrambling to finish the homework that is due before Channel 1 and YJP ends. In all honesty, we joke and swap stories about who stayed up the longest but it’s not a good thing.

A good mantra is “Keep on keeping on”. Also, as long as your head is above water, keep on breathing. Just keep swimming. The early bird catches the worm. If at once you do not succeed, try, try again. Give a hundred and ten percent. One vote can make a difference and any other motivational cliché you can think of.

Samantha Hughes

 

To whom it may concern:

I will begin by expressing my deepest condolences, for you are only at the threshold of your IB experience and have a long while to go before even contemplating the light at the end of the tunnel. There is no amount of money, no glorious title, no sparkling promise of eternal glory that could ever convince me to go back and relive the horror that is the International Baccalaureate Programme. But I realize that you are not so lucky as me, to already have two years crossed off your prison sentence, and that you have yet to face the torturous devices employed by our pitiless warden to beat you into both submission and grade-A test taking material ― math portfolios, Spanish orals, and the dreaded Fly Lab, which on its own has claimed more lives than any iron maiden in history.

Life as an IB student is bad enough without all the little irksome realizations that come along with experience. That is why I will lend you my own to use as you see fit until time garners you some of your own. First and foremost―the things you should try to avoid doing:

• Waiting until the night before they’re due to take a look at your English journals. Especially Hamlet ones. Unless you’re clinically depressed and looking for a way to end your life, it just isn’t advisable.
• Waiting until the night before they’re due to do both your Scarlet Letter journals and the Hamlet journals you didn’t…uh…get to last time…
• Waiting until the lunch period the day you have an AP U.S. History Standardized test to crack open the review book and figure out which chapters you were supposed to have studied but didn’t because life is sad and colonial America even worse.
• Planning fun outings on the weekend. Unless they involve the acquisition of CAS hours, you can forget it. You’ll be devoting all of that precious free time to an assortment of bio labs, history essays, French readings, etc.

What’s the most important thing to study? That depends. Some things are only capable of being partially learnt. Cellular respiration, for example. Everyone begins the chapter determined to memorize all ten stages of glycolysis and wind up not studying for the test at all. I think that’s a big part of IB ― realizing that sometimes it’s futile to try and understand something, and that it’s a better use of your time not to. Seriously. There’s no point in struggling up a ladder when the last few rungs are missing and you’re guaranteed to fall anyways. You can survive without doing well on tests, really. Just make sure you put plenty of effort into projects and get all of your homework in on time and completed.

In short, prepare yourself for four agonizing years of studying, essay-writing, test formatting, and lab write-upping.

You poor, unfortunate soul.

Really glad I’m not you,

Sofi Ouhri

 

Dear Freshmen,

So, you’ve made it into IB. You may have heard the horror stories but you have ultimately decided to further your education here. I would like to congratulate you on your courage and determination. However, be warned that the IB program is not for everyone; but if you have the willpower and strength to finish out your high school years in IB, then you will be richly rewarded for your time and effort.

Being a part of IB doesn’t just give you a better education—IB gives you another family, a group of close-knit friends, and relationships that will last a lifetime. Maintain the closeness that you will have with your classmates—sometimes, it will help you get through the tough times. The IB program will mature (learn how to pronounce this word. Trust me on that; you will need to know) you, preparing you so you can take on the world.

Of course, you will only learn about those parts of IB when you are about to graduate and go your separate ways. The things you probably heard the most was the academic challenges and rewards of the IB program. Yes, it is rigorous, but you will learn to cope. Everyone who has ever been through IB will tell you to manage your time and not procrastinate. Try and do all the work the teachers assign you; you will never know how useful an assignment can be until it is too late. Keep up with ongoing tasks like community service hours. Taking these pieces of advice will save you much stress. Just remember, though, to take a break and relax occasionally. Go out with friends to the movies, make a lunch date, or have a small party. Even going out to volunteer for hours is better than staying locked in your house studying. After all, a person can’t be all work and no play, right? Keeping a balanced lifestyle will make you happier and thus more likely to focus on your work and succeed. Everything is connected (as certain teachers would say).

You may have heard about the different classes and that you should pick one class over another. While it is true that it may be harder to earn the grade you want in certain classes, I believe that it ultimately depends on you, the student. You should choose a class not because of your grade, but because you truly want to take it. You may kind of fail at the class, but if you persist, you should pass just like everyone else and you will be stronger for it. So choose whatever classes you want, as the grade is not as important as what you take away from those classes. A little hint though: you might want to brush up on your science classes. They can be really deadly sometimes.

I hope that I have aided you on your adventure through IB. With luck and determination, you might slay the dragon and save the princess/prince—or, you know, get your IB diploma, whichever one is better. I wish you the best.

Alyssa Ren

 

Confidential: For the eyes of the IB Freshman:

“This isn’t madness… this is IB!” And believe me, freshman year really is just the beginning of a long and quite difficult journey. But believe me, when you make it to senior year (and you will), you will say “I am a senior (finally)!” with more pride than anyone! But let me start by saying please do not underestimate yourself! IB chose you. They saw in you a potential that you may not have even recognized. I tell anyone who asks me: you can only enter IB once, so, go for it!

One of the biggest nuisances for teachers is freshman complaining, so don’t do it. The work you will receive in freshman year is just a fraction of what you will be getting in the coming years. Just do your work as best as you can and get it done. Please learn at the early stage of the program not to agonize over your work, trying to make it perfect. I am really sorry, but if you do not learn to overcome your need for perfection, you are going to have a LOT of problems. I am not even going to talk about procrastination because it would just sound cliché and besides, procrastination is mostly unavoidable. HOWEVER, this does not mean that you have permission to procrastinate; seriously, please don’t procrastinate if you can help it. Procrastination= bad habit… let’s just leave this topic at that.

As a freshman, try to learn how to study well. I think this was one of my more latent skills that I wish I developed better during freshman year. Even though you may have breezed through middle school, IB actually does require you to study sometimes. It all depends on your classes.

During freshman year, I think your biggest test will be getting through freshman Biology with Mrs. Kennon. She is a tough, but good, teacher. Your job will be to do her work, and turn it in on time. NO EXCUSES. Never underestimate lab write ups or her worksheets. They are designed to take up some time, so try your best to start them early.

People may have told you that IB gives you too much homework that you won’t be able to do anything else and you will have to give up your social life. This is a bit of an exaggeration. IB does require your dedication, and if you don’t have any dedication towards IB, then why are you here? IB’s work can be time consuming, but it will not take up your entire life. You will still have time to play sports if you like, take part in clubs at school, or just hang out with your friends and family. But you will have to learn to prioritize.

Please, Please, PLEASE make friends with your teachers, your guidance counselor, and your principal. They don’t bite! You should truly appreciate what your teachers do and will do for you throughout your time at IB. You can always count on them to help you when you need it, and these teachers go to lengths that a lot of teachers don’t have to go through to teach you guys everything you will need to know to help you in your future. So PLEASE, really love your teachers and faculty. Give them a shout out every once in a while. Let them know they are appreciated.

Honestly, one of the best aspects of IB is the people you will meet during your four years here. Your small class will become like your extended family; to some extent they are your utmost support during the trying times of IB, so have a lot of respect for each other. You will all be going through the same things, so you all will be able to empathize with each other. Sure you all will get tired of the complaining after some point, though. You will, for sure, make many close friends and have some insanely crazy times, especially if you are like me and end up going to a HOSA competition with your friends and witness their most epic pillow fight of all time! Or when you are riding the bus with your other friend and you see a punch buggy and end up punching the wrong person when you intended to punch your friend. Yeah. But that’s beside the point. Join many clubs with your friends, and make many memories at IB. You won’t have any other experience like your four years here at IB.

Good Luck! And Don’t Give Up!

Neha Shah

 

Dear Freshman,

Welcome to the (sometimes) wonderful world of IB at Bartow. The next four years of your life are going to be quite challenging, just so you know. Still, not even close to all bad. Aside from being a great opportunity to learn all kinds of subjects at any extremely high level, you’re going to meet some incredible people, too, both students and teachers. A lot of them can help you. Talk to them.

This year, freshman, be confident but humble. Know that you are here because you have some knowledge and can apply it. Be humble because you still have a lot to learn and the people here can teach it to you if you let them. This year, you need to focus on your foreign language class. The foundation you lay in French or Spanish this year will be indispensable in years to come! Master the concepts as they are introduced, and senior year you can kick back and relax about your orals while others are stressing because they still are trying to understand the difference between the two verbs that both mean “to know.”

When you’re a sophomore, have fun. This year is the best because you already know everyone and yet your work still comes in manageable quantities. If you worked hard in French or Spanish last year like I told you to, you should be fine in there. You’ll learn some more grammar this year, but you’ll pretty much know all of it going into junior and senior year, and then you can fine-tune it and build up fluency. Other subjects that are majorly important this year are English and Algebra II. If you still have Guice and Naki, listen to those guys. They know a lot of stuff and can communicate it to you like no one’s business, plus in senior year you’ll be ahead of the people who didn’t; in English IV and Calculus you build a lot on English II and Algebra II (respectively, duh).

In junior year, be tough and stick it out. About ten people dropped out of my class in the first semester of junior year, and that was pretty depressing for us. Yep, it’s dang hard this year, especially the first semester. If you took biology…yeah, you know. Now might be the time to consider being okay with a few Bs, especially if you’re really involved in extracurricular things and honestly don’t have time to study enough to get straight As. Just don’t leave the program! This year, don’t blow off Pre-calculus, because even though it’s pretty easy, you are tested on that stuff on the IB SL math test, and it’s a good way to pick up easy points if you learn the material junior year.

I don’t really feel like I can give advice about senior year yet because I’m still in the middle of it (literally…the first semester ends tomorrow!). Best wishes for your future, person!

Macey Valenti, Class of 2011

 

Dear Freshman,

You are about to embark on one of the craziest adventures of your life. Think I’m exaggerating? Well, not completely. Thinking back on my experience in IB, I cannot believe how much work I have actually done here and how much time was put into studying, bio labs, portfolios, and just plain busywork. Before you begin IB, there are many things you should realize about the program.

For one, the do’s and don’ts of IB. The do’s include studying. This may seem obvious, but you don’t know what real studying is until you enter the program. By now, if you have gotten by through school “studying” right before an exam or “studying” at home by reading the book, this may not always end up giving you a good grade. You actually have to know and understand the information you’re given. It’s easier said than done. A lot of the time, you can just memorize a few things and get by, but in IB, everything is building on everything else. Not only will things in your English class just be relevant to English, but you’ll find that it’s relevant to Calculus, Biology, and History. Another do is to sleep. Adjusting to freshman year can be hard if you came from a public school like me, but freshman and sophomore years shouldn’t be difficult. It’s when the almighty junior year kicks in that you realize how sleep can be your best friend and your worst enemy. Now the don’ts. Don’t procrastinate… seriously. You can get by with that for some time, but if you don’t want to continuously fail, then you’ll need to get stuff done. Don’t even try procrastinating on a biology lab or math portfolio. For the people that want to be daring and try it, let me just tell you that I have done it and it’s not worth it. Another don’t is don’t complain. Things get hard and complaining can be a good way to get some feelings out, but don’t do it too much. People have gone through the program before you. I’ve learned that complaining won’t change anything and just wastes time, so buckle down and get stuff done.

I can’t really tell you what has been the most important. Like I said, everything is like a building block so it’s all rather important. However, telling you what takes the most time to study is simple. One word: biology (up to junior year). It’s not only because I suck at it, but because there is a lot of material to grasp. Even the geniuses (which most of you probably are) have to study for it. When you get to senior year, Shuff’s Latin American History tests take a lot of time, too. Twenty pages of notes to study + twenty or so pages in the books = not a happy senior. But don’t worry. I would tell you to run while you have the chance, but instead, I’ll tell you that the family that you gain from IB makes the work worth it, at times. You will never build relationships with people like you do here. I never thought I would be as close to everyone in my class, but I can honestly say that I have a good relationship with every single person…and you can too! The most important thing I’ve learned through all of this is that you can do whatever you put your mind to (since you don’t know me, I hope this statement gave it away that I am a super corny person and I love it). But seriously, mind of matter is the key. When I think about the things I have completed in IB, I have matured so much and feel like I can do anything. 4,000 word essay, 15 page labs, 15 page portfolios, IA’s: piece of cake. None of this means anything to you right now, but you’ll soon find out that things that seem impossible really aren’t. When you feel like you can’t do it, just suck it up and remember that you didn’t come to IB to quit. IB isn’t for everyone, but if you have the drive, then you can do it. Oh and those of you that are lazy: sorry suckas; you better shape up.

Anywho, just do your best. Don’t psych yourself out before you even try it. I can’t tell you if it’s worth it or not, but I can tell you that it really does change your life. Always remember: Class of 2011 is the best!… I mean, mind over matter and everything will be okay.

Good luck,

Leena Philip

 

Freshies!

I was trying to figure out how best to organize this and I decided to go with headings and just talk about that topic. 🙂 But ANYWAYS, I am about to give you some AWESOME advice, so listen up. (My spelling is awful, so if you notice, please refrain from laughing.) [Editor’s note: I fixed it.]

FRESHMAN/SOPHOMORE YEARS

Well, IB def isn’t easy, but I don’t think it’s as awful as everyone makes it seem (except for CAS, that sucks). But the first two years of IB are REALLY easy! So please don’t whine; Junior year is when whining is allowed. Trust me, when you get to be  a junior or a senior dealing with REAL IB stuff, hearing the underclassmen whine will make you want to punch a trick! Also, TRY to get straight A’s the first two years (it helps your GPA A LOT) because for most of us, getting straight A’s is difficult in the later years.

AVOIDING STRESS & HAVING FUN

IB can get really stressful, which is why you need to learn to avoid stress and have fun. One of the main things to do in order to avoid stress is don’t make things harder on yourself! For example… EXTENDED ESSAY! Some people picked crazy hard topics to write about and just stressed themselves out. Me? I wrote about the Civil War and slavery, didn’t work on it all summer, and still wrote my outline and essay without any stress. I got a high B on my rough draft. 🙂 It’s just things like that; don’t half a** things, but don’t make things harder. In IB you NEED to chill out and have fun. Get with a group of friends and do things NOT SCHOOL RELATED, you will need it. I personally like doing sports; it gives you a way to meet tons of other people and make close friends.

MISCELLANEOUS ¬ I asked multiple people in the class how to spell this [Editor’s note: and they still left out the last E.]

• In Goss’s class, just read the chapter and you will get an A on the test.
  — It’s not that bad, it has tons of quirky sayings in it.
  ● In Smith’s class DO NOT wait until the night before to do the journals; you will DIE and your soul will desert you.
  — Her little quizzes suck because she asks about the TINIEST details — people who read it failed.
  — The Hamlet test rapes.
  ● In Frisbie’s DO NOT WAIT to do the portfolios or you will die, and your soul will desert you, just like with the journals.
  ● TOK is very interesting, so if you don’t have homework to do, listen.
  ● Everything Delk says is right — just accept it.
  ● Counting how many times Shuff says “with it” is very amusing and helps pass the time.
  ● Physics (what is that) is good to take if you know you won’t be able to handle bio. You will have to teach yourself, though.

Stephanie Browne

 

Dear Freshmen,

The very first thing you need to know about entering the IB program is that the rest of us don’t like you. It’s nothing personal, we just don’t like freshmen. My first piece of advice: accept this inevitability. You are not liked, and you won’t be while you are a freshman. Deal with it. Don’t try and change it by becoming friends with us, it won’t work. We may pretend to stop you from annoying us, but we won’t like you.

As far as actual advice goes, the first thing you need to know is how to prioritize your time. This is quite possibly the most important skill you will learn as an IB student, and 9th grade is a great place to start this. Now if you don’t know what I mean by this you probably shouldn’t be in this program, but I’ll explain anyway. Learn what your strengths are and use this to your advantage. If you go beast-mode in math, but suck in Spanish, don’t take that time you would study for math and use it to play Black Ops (even though it’s so much fun). Instead, apply this time to studying for Spanish. Trust me, it will help.

Next piece of advice, make friends. It helps. A lot. Friends are a great stress-relief. They’re always there when you need help on an assignment (help, not answers, that’s collusion and is very, very bad). They also help you stay focused, assuming they can. And if neither of you can, well then they become another person who failed that test because you can’t manage to stay awake in class long enough to learn anything. Just remember, stick within your class because the rest of us don’t like you.

So, freshmen (I don’t care what your names are, you are freshmen, not actual people), what have you learned? 1) We don’t like you. 2) Prioritize. 3) Make friends (not us). Just follow these three basic rules, and you might survive, although I don’t like you so I really couldn’t care less. But odds are you realized that after the first paragraph and therefore stopped reading assuming I wouldn’t offer any real advice. Well, you were wrong. (Get used to this as well, in IB it happens, a lot.)

Corey Valdez

1. S. No, I will not be your friend.

 

To the future IB students,

The coming four years are going to be even worse than you can imagine. You will be pushed beyond what you can endure, and then pushed some more. Steel yourself for nights without sleep, homework without end, tests that will make you cry, and most of all the dreaded IB internal and external assessments. Look around at all the people in your class. Not all of you will make it through the program; some of you will drop out due to various reasons (getting behind, it’s too hard, or not finishing your extended essay or World Lit papers on time). It is inevitable that at least ten people in your class will have left by senior year. I do not mean to sound morbid, but it is what will happen. However, those of you that stay, you will have a bond with your fellow students. You will be like a family, one big crazy, dysfunctional, weird, insane family.

I am not going to lie; I have wanted to drop out hundreds of times. So will you. Push on and just do it. Finish the race. In spite of all the hell you will go through here at IB, you will have some of the best memories ever. Doing your history fair project at two in the morning with your friend because you procrastinated. Finishing your extended essay. Accidently setting the chemistry table on fire. Meeting at friends houses’ to study and goof off. All the bizarre conversations. The Tok discussions. The creepy times. The good times. The bad times. You are in for one hell of a roller coaster ride.

There is some advice that I have for you, which I have learned from experience. Sadly though, what I tell you, you will not heed. However, I feel obligated to tell you, so then you can think back, like I am now, and say DAMN I wish I would have listened. So do not complain about being in 9th and 10th grade. Especially to people in 11th and 12th. You do not have any idea how hard it will get. You can complain once you have done the English oral for Mrs. Smith or started Tok. By then you will have some idea of how hellish IB really is. 9th and 10th are a breeze, you just don’t realize it while you are going through it. But trust me it gets worse. Also, get a good group of friends that you can study with and bum notes off in case you lose yours. You can also bum off their knowledge. Also try to learn not to procrastinate. It won’t happen, but try. Procrastination is an ugly disease that will kill you. Never complain about any of your teachers. They are always there for you and do an amazing job of getting you ready for the IB exams. Have fun in Goss’s class you commie pinko pig or he will burn down your house. Start to stalk Mr. Shuff in freshman year, so maybe you can get one of his 5000 extra credit points. Catch all the mistakes Mrs. Frisbie makes so you can get CANDY. Have an amazing time with Guice, he really a chill guy. Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Delk will kill you with details from the books, READ THEM. Mrs. Delk will also kill you for syntax errors, so beware. Mrs. Devore is an amazing teacher for government and also the Key Club advisor. You have to join Key Club. Mr. Wright is a goof-ball and make fun of him any chance you get. Join Quidditch club if it is still around. Naki will tell you stories all the time, make sure to get him to tell you the Wal-mart story. Garrison is a reformed hippie because he cut off all his hair. Mrs. Kennon’s worksheets are terrible, you will never get a hundred percent. Take Physics if you want a better grade. Mr. Webb knows his stuff. Hmm I think that covers all the teachers…

Have fun being in hell. I am out of here.

 Jordan Gilbert

 

IB has been a wild ride. I have had an amazing time learning, making great friends, and finding role models in some teachers that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Along the way, however, I’ve developed many regrets that I can’t go back and change. There are things that could have turned out differently — for the better or for the worse, I’ll never know. But what I do know is that there are some things I can tell you about to help you get through IB.

First off, always take each class seriously. It’s easy to think of some classes as fly-by classes but it only takes one screw-up to bring your grade down. Everyone in IB starts off worrying about grades and you need to. Gaining good grades in the first two years of IB are crucial to your GPA. It provides a cushion for junior and senior years, which are by far the hardest of your academic career. Also, don’t take Biology and Calculus if you can’t take working. It’s difficult and I’m saving you hassle.

But remember to always have fun. Make friends with your classmates and form a support system so that no one drops out of IB and everyone keeps a positive attitude, no matter what. Play a lot of Call of Duty: Black Ops, too, because it’s a great stress reliever. Practice hard with the crossbow and tomahawk because  there’s no better feeling than getting “Scalper” or hit markers across the map on Launch. Be sure to have steady aim with your sniper PSG1 with an ACOG scope. Play on, fellow IB kids!

Samuel Irizarry

 

A Disclaimer: The following advice was written by a pair of students, anonymously. (I know who they are, but I’m not publishing that.) One of them also has a more conventional message elsewhere on this page, and the second took calculus a year earlier and wrote a more traditional essay then. But they took the time and energy to write this, and I thought it was amusing and an interesting illustration of what happens when you meditate on this stuff too long, too, so here it is.

Dear Freshmen,

If you really want to keep your soul, I suggest you leave IB while you can. I have seen the filing cabinet where Dr. Vetter stores all the souls of the IB students foolish enough to torture themselves with a rigorous academic program. I want to save you the pain of losing your soul to the Vetter Viper, which runs on the souls of all those who drop out during their junior/senior year and the tears of orphaned toddlers and the rest of the suffering students who stay up nights studying for Shuff Tests. Not afraid of IB yet? Once you hear the morbid tales of the deathtrap that is the IB program, I assure you that you will want to run as fast as you can, like the Gingerbread Man.

Your freshman year will be as joyful as dancing in a sunny field of sunflowers with a herd of unhappy unicorns while rainbows appear in the sky. However, beware of the hidden land mines that are biology. If you have successfully avoided those land mines, welcome to your sophomore year. You can still enjoy your festivities, but the unicorns disappear as you get closer toward junior year, maybe because of the silent death threats as you struggle through physics and chemistry. Think the rest of your stay in IB is as idyllic as this? Be prepared to curl up in a corner and rock back and forth as the sunny field of sunflowers of your dreams burns.

Throughout the course of your junior year, you will be threatened, buried, killed and brought back only to suffer some more. In your history class, you will live in constant fear of getting your house burned down should you fail to understand the pinko-commie pigs. You will slowly feel all your happy thoughts drain away to some unknown place in French class, which always seems to last longer than this sentence. Other teachers will be sadistic, piling on endless amounts of homework like English journal questions that never seem to help you on tests and, if you were stupid enough to pick biology or physics, just stuff that doesn’t seem important in life. Then there are the other things like English orals, one of the tests that many students dread as much as they dread coming to IB every day. Like in French class, their enthusiasm decreases as orals draw near, almost as if something (or someone) were feeding on them.

Your senior year will only get worse. You enter into a dictatorship in history class, you finally find the person who is draining all of your happiness and confirm that time does indeed slow down in French class. Unfortunately, you have to go to both of these classes and you can’t bring your wand with you, so you can never defend yourself from the onslaught of dictator and dementor. Then there is Big Brother. Big brother hides behind a smiling, short lady who doesn’t seem to do much damage until you realize that she is WATCHING YOU. She is EVERYWHERE. She HEARS you. She DESTROYS everything you hold dear. Luckily, you also meet the leader in the silent rebellion against Big Brother, masquerading as the teacher of Theory of Knowledge. But even that safe haven is infiltrated by Big Brother, who really does hear everything.

So, in a nutshell, all you have to look forward to in IB is crime and punishment. If you value the life that you currently live, I suggest backing out of IB while you can, for once you lose your soul you can never get it back should you leave the academic program of doom. The IB program is too evil and deadly to consume your entire life.

Sincerely,

Your Savior

 

 

I know coming to a new school may be scary but you must be strong and have fun with it. Your success in high school and beyond starts your freshman year so you don’t want to goof off. Join any clubs you think you will enjoy and make as many friends as you can because one day they will be there for you when you have two essays to write in english and have to study for a calculus free response. Colleges look at your grades and extracurricular activities from your freshman year so make those early years count. Your teachers are your friends and it is a good idea to have strong relationships because you will never know when you will need them to write you a college entrance letter or review your extended essay (I.B. only).

Avoid procrastinating as much as possible because it can lead to late nights in the books and grades that won’t get you on honor roll. When you become a senior do not become victim to senioritis. It will kill your GPA and chance of getting into a good college. Do your homework and study for tests all the way up until your final exams. If you are taking AP classes find review books online or at the store to help you earn a passing grade on the exam.

Studying is a key asset to a successful journey in high school. The more practice you put in the better you will become. Don’t try to cram study the night before the test. Study throughout the semester and you will become familiar with the material and ace the final exam. When you study you make better grades, simple as that. Some handy study techniques are flash cards, working out math problems, reading… A LOT, and it may be a good idea to join a study group for a particular subject. When teachers see students studying they know the students deserve a good grade because of the time they put in. Studying is the stairway to sensational attitudes and success.

Brawley Adams

 

Dear Freshman,

Hi. I’m Nesalie. I’m a senior here at BHS. I want to give you some advice so that when you get to your senior year, you won’t regret anything you did back when you were still a freshman. First, you should listen to your teacher when she/he is giving a lesson so that you always know what you’re doing, because sometimes not everybody pays attention, so don’t even bother to ask your classmates. It’s better to know the lesson or what you’re doing all the time so that when a test or quiz comes, your neck won’t hurt from leaning to see your classmate’s answers. This was not my experience, but I just hate it when people kept asking me for answer. In other words, pay attention and don’t go to sleep. You are here to get educated, not some sleep.

Second, stay out of trouble. Anything can get you in trouble: your phone, your music, your hat, and being stupid — mainly your phone and being stupid. Most teenagers now text everywhere all the time, especially in class while your teacher is giving the lesson. Me? I don’t do it because, one: I have very limited texts; two: I don’t wanna get in trouble. But here’s what I see when they text in class: when the teacher saw you texting in class, he/she took it away, or if you do it often you got called into the discipline office, sometimes, getting a detention. (If you’re stupid, you’ll probably be happy for not going to school for a couple of days, but you can’t make up the work. HA!) Then you missed a lot of work (quizzes or tests), then you got your report card, saw F’s, your parents found out, then they took your phone away, and then you cried. Then you feel really stupid, but you do it again.

Lastly, if you can it’s better to take the hard or requirement classes sooner so that when you get to your senior year like me you’ll have easy classes and no stress! 🙂 (Except for calculus :/.) You shouldn’t wait to take the ACTs and SATs either, so when you’re a senior you won’t have to worry about it but you just have to make a high score on it. Do all the hard and requirement stuff your junior year so you can relax on your senior year because it’s your last year! You should get involved with sports or volunteer so that when you start to write to colleges about yourself, you have something other than school stuff. You should always make the right choices (or what seems like right to you) so you won’t get in trouble because that’s what I always hear coaches or teachers say. Don’t worry, you’ll hear that a lot, too. Don’t whine, especially in classes that have No Whining signs, because the teacher probably won’t like you.

So yeah, that’s my advice and if you need some more just ask me. This is not really my experience, but I’ve seen it happen and observed it. Welcome to BHS! Good luck!

Sincerely,

Nesalie Igloso

 

I advise the new young naïve flock of young freshmen to not be deceived by the misconceptions that are early established by the ever-illusory example of the upper-class mates. I would like to counsel the incomers that the strongest effort should always be put forth, and do not much diversion of their much-needed study. Under-class fellows also must be informed that knowledge is a system that goes full circle and connects; The foundation of what a pupil learns yesterday decides how effective his investigation of knowledge of the tomorrow.

Misconceptions do not only consist in weak work ethic, and linger much stronger on a misleading social ethic. That is… The development of a distasteful “cool,” that everyone seems to believe at a mild maturity. Thoughts become construed by the black box with the LCD screen, and societal allusion encourages this propaganda. Although allusion is carried close and strong, most of them do not live by these weak morals. Those who invest: their thoughts, time and lifestyle to a stronger character and code of ethic live a less stressful and surreal lifestyle. It is best to deviate from what society is exclaiming or informing and follow your inner-conscience without tainted rationalization. The real truth, which might in fact be the unrealized truth, is everyone lies. No one actually lives by his or her words. Words do not maintain integrity, and those who words maintain integrity about this “cool” are completely crazy.

The grandest idea to know about life inside or outside of high school is to not allow anyone to affect a goal or a vision. Be it a study in a class or a future goal in life. Those who do and achieve keep well in study, integrity, and character. A person obtains a greater lifestyle when he can become content with whom he is. The comparison of self to others can destroy a man or make him envious. But I have digressed from what I am really wanted to exert and that is to not allow someone to affect your mood. If there is a teacher, peer, family member or situation do not allow these factors to affect a clear vision. I say set your sails and set your goals the newcomers, and if the winds do not blow your direction maneuver in careful precision to head your way. I say head your way and only your way.

Forrest Butler

 

Dear fellow students,

So I’m not really sure what to write about… so this may be random, but that’s because I’m typing as I think. Oh, if any of you read this and you don’t know who I am, I’m the girl at school who looks/looked like Mrs. Culverhouse.

As an IB drop out, I know the same amount of information about IB and BHS, so any student can follow these words. If you drop out, you may hate school. So try your best not to because then it makes you not want to do anything, what we call apathy. Gosh that sounds a little harsh, but you’ll get to the point where you understand what I’m saying… but I sincerely hope you don’t.

If you procrastinate, it will become a habit… and then a lifestyle. Start out right and get your work done before 2 o’clock in the morning. Your tired high will only last you so long. Learn how to manage your time. Get an assignment, and embrace your inner nerd. Work diligently so you DO NOT OVERLOAD your brain. You will start acting really strange and laugh at almost everything you hear. Then you crash… and crashing is not fun. Having many crashes should not be a goal for you students. I’m serious about this procrastination thing. Think about it, you get everything done so you can do what you want. Not do what you want and then get your work done, because then you ultimately fail. Well not necessarily fail, but your grade suffers. No straight A’s for you little miscreants who procrastinate :/

When Homecoming week rolls around, have fun! Let loose a little. High school just isn’t about the academics and service hours. Oh, and at the pep rallies, join in. Don’t look like a bum on a log. Listen to Frisbie when she tells you random facts about the world. Try not to fall asleep in class because you may miss something good, like a kid getting tape wrapped around his head. Biology is hard, but it’s worth the struggle, English with Mr. Guice is off the chain, Ms. Allison is kind of odd but in the best way possible, Naki is great! Mr. Goss is the best, and if you have Mrs. Frost, the only thing I can say is she is the sweetest lady you will ever know, but she is a scatterbrain so give her a little wiggle room and try to love her…what else is there to say???… IDK! so bye!

Love,

Suzanna Calandros

P.S. have some fun kiddo 🙂

 

Dear upcoming freshman,

By definition, high school is the school attended after junior high school usually consisting of grades 9-12. In the mind of an eighth grader approaching ninth grade, this definition is extremely more broad. High school can be taken as a scary zoo with a bunch of wild animals running around chaotically. Upperclassmen using trash cans as cages for the underclassmen. Bullies awaiting in the bathroom stalls. Teachers no longer consider you to be the most sweetest, innocent child in your small class of twenty-one. Or high school can be considered a step closer to adulthood. The next step in life until you’re officially considered a grown-up. A chance to be free. Later curfews and more friends. Either way you take it, be prepared to be in for a shock.

High school isn’t all it’s cut out to be. Although you get the best of both scenarios I laid out above, things do not always go as planned. First off, do not expect everything to be handed to you on a golden, silver or platinum platter. Don’t even expect it to be handed to you on a paper plate. Because you are surrounded by people who are just as smart as you are, you now have to work for what you want. No more goofin’ around and still pulling an A. Many of my peers joked around in ninth grade and over the years they have realized that that was a bad decision. They were under the assumption that ninth grade year was just the beginning year and they could make everything up senior year but they were wrong. Playing catch up is a pretty hard task to do. Ninth grade year is the foundation and in order for you to stand strong over the years your foundation has to be strong. No lollygagging ’cause high school ain’t a joke.

In order to stay on top of your game you have to STUDY. I know you probably have never studied a day in your life. NEITHER HAD I. In ninth grade it wasn’t really necessary for me because I retained the information well but I wish I would have studied anyways. Once I hit 10th grade, I was lacking study habits that other students in my class had. Therefore, my grade was not as good as it potentially could have been. If I would have previously adapted to study habits in 9th grade, things may have been better for me. I’m not saying you have to be an uber-nerd and study 24/7. Just review notes or make note cards every once in a while. No matter what class it is! (Focus MORE on the type of class that does not come naturally to you.) I’m telling you it’ll help in the long run.

Don’t take me wrong! High school IS a new landmark in life! It’s extremely fun. I go to all of the football games and participate in a million and three clubs and I encourage you to do the same if you can. I also find time to study and keep my grades up. It’s not completely impossible to get the best of both worlds. Bartow High School is such a dynamic school. There’s so much to get into. Just don’t underestimate things. Use your time wisely cause I PROMISE it will help.

Sincerely,
A concerned Senior
Andrea Young 

p.s. Don’t Worry Be Happy — Bob Marley tends to calm me down a lot. You should try it 🙂

 

Dear Freshman,

High school is an important time in a student’s life, so make sure you use it wisely. Don’t waste your time on drama or worrying about what you wear, once you walk across that stage and get your diploma none of that silly stuff will matter anymore. All the hard work in high school is done so your in senior year you can get that acceptance letter to the college you have always dreamed of going to. So first word of advice is do not slack off. It may only be your freshman year but if you don’t take it seriously you will most likely regret it your senior year when your GPA isn’t as high as you would like it.

Second word of advice is do not leave high school with ANY regrets. If you want to try something, go for it. I was in IB until the middle of my junior year. Yes it was hard work but I do not regret doing it one single bit, nor do I regret dropping out either. If you want to try out for a sport, don’t hold back. Even if you don’t think you will make it, still try out. You don’t want to later look back and wonder if you would have made it or not. One of my dreams since I was a little girl was to be a cheerleader. I always wanted to have that privilege to wear the uniform and have my own pom-poms. So I tried out my freshman year and made it. It was so much fun and I loved it. I only did it one year because it was a lot of work with school but I still did it. If you don’t think you will have time for that one club, join it and you can later drop out if you find it is too much. Don’t let any opportunities pass you by.

My third word of advice is start on community service hours NOW. I am trying to get all of them completed now and am wishing I would have started on them earlier. You senior year you are already going to be stressed about trying to get into colleges and all the other things that go on and you don’t want to have to also worry about your community service hours. My last thing is have fun. High school is supposed to be enjoyable. Go to the homecoming and prom and football games. You may have homework but who cares, you can stay up a couple hours later to finish it, it won’t kill you. In high school you want to be involved in things not stuck in your bedroom doing homework. High school is a requirement so make the most of it. Good luck!

Courtney Chance

 

High school can be the time of your life. There is so much to do and so little time. Your first year of school is a doozy, and all subjects are equally important. Life changes so fast; there is no more mommy by your side to help you. Responsibility is something that has to grow quick or else you won’t make it.

The first day of high school  is totally different from middle school. The scale of the school is much bigger. Life is totally different. The most important thing to do is have a close group of friends. These friends will help you in good and bad times. After that you need to find the past of least resistance to class. Here is a tip… teachers have to give you a couple of days to figure out your classes, so just play the dumb card. Enjoy being late while you can. After that you better get to class on time or else it is a referral. Also freshman year is the most important year in high school. It sets the tone for the rest of high school. The worst thing to do it to not care and make bad grades. That is the biggest regret of most seniors because they dug themselves in such a deep hole, their grades are bad and they cannot go to college where they want to.

Another thing to remember is that all subjects are equally important. To succeed in life, you must broaden your horizons. Even if you do not like a class it does not mean it does not matter anymore. Colleges love to see that you took a wide variety of classes in high school. It shows that you are a man/woman of the world and that you are not afraid to dabble around with other subjects. Always focus more on the subject that you are struggling with and always ask for help. It is something I wish I was better at.

If you heed my advice you will love high school. There is no time like it. My brother in college wishes he was back in high school because it was easier. Enjoy life and try to learn while you are in high school. It will pay off in the future.

Craig Leckie

 

Dear Freshmeat, wait I mean Freshman…

There is probably one of two reasons why you are reading this: You are a freshman looking for advice or you are a Junior/Senior trying to find an example of how to write your essay to freshmen. If you are a freshman in need of advice I would recommend going to your guidance counselor in the guidance office. (Your teacher probably has a school map.) Am I a psychic? No. Is it funny watching all you little freshmen walk around with maps all day? Yes! However, if you choose to read my essay I hope it helps.

If you’re in IB and have any thought of dropping out, it’s okay. I’m not saying to drop out or that IB is bad; it’s good. I just am glad I dropped out of IB after 3 days instead of after 3 years like some kids. I feel it would suck to drop out after 3 long, hard years in IB.

Work hard your first three years. It pays off. I only have four classes my senior year. On top of that, all four classes are elective. IT IS NICE! I get out of school every day at 10:31. (Yes, in case you’re smart enough to draw conclusions, I took AP Calculus as an elective.) Some seniors are taking extra classes trying to graduate or get a better GPA while some are getting out of school every day after only two classes and have over a 4.0 GPA. PLAN AHEAD!

Sincerely,

James Morris 

  

C/O 2011

If I had to give advice to a freshman, some of the best advice I could give them would be what teachers not to get. I won’t mention any names, but some math teachers aren’t as good as others.

I would tell them that if they take Mr. Goss’s class, tell him that you play baseball. He will definitely take a liking to you. Also, his class, American history, will probably take the most amount of study. There are a ton of facts to remember. I would tell them to at least act very conservative because Mr. Goss hates the “Pukin’ Liberals.”

Another great piece of advice I could give is to never skip class. However, if you do skip class, stay away from the main office building. That is the stomping grounds of Mrs. Clemons, and she will get after you!

I would tell them to bring earplugs for the morning announcements, because Dr. Vetter’s good moods just tend to piss you off that early in the morning.

Following these directions could produce a very successful student at Bartow High School.

Rick Holland

 

If you’re an incoming freshman in IB, the first piece of advice I’d give you is to take pre-calculus instead of math analysis. You’ll actually go somewhere instead of wasting time and learning nothing in analysis. Mrs. Frisbie is an awesome teacher and will help you through any problem you have.

Another thing, you should not do that I did almost every class period is sleep. You may think that you can just figure out the homework every day, but it’ll just end in a lot of frustrated moments when you don’t understand one of the harder problems. Trust me. I was just like you, so just trust me!

The most important thing I would say to do in school in general is to do all of the homework assignments. Even if they’re just 10 points, there’s like at least 5 assignments for each test or quiz. That’s half a freaking test grade! It’ll save you from doing bad on tests and just keep your grade up.

Robbie Joyner

 

As a freshman in high school, it may take some time to adjust to the new setting. You’re probably worried about what to wear, getting lost on the way to class, running into old friends, and if your new backpack makes you look weird or not… but just remember, everyone else is thinking the same thoughts.

Being in Bartow High for four years now, I can relate to how you feel as a freshman and I’m here to give you advice. I would say the first week of school as a ninth grader is the most important. Don’t worry about being bullied and picked on because it rarely happens. Instead you should try to make as many friends as you can. Even though it may be difficult to come out of your comfort zone, it’s definitely worth it. You should really get involved in the school; join clubs and go to all of the dances. The most fun is homecoming week, you should have school spirit and dress up on all of the crazy days! Also, get a good lunch table with all of the friends you just made because you will have plenty of great times eating with everyone. This may sound off, but get to know your guidance counselor as soon as you can because they will help you more than you realize. Your eyes really open up as a freshman and you learn so much so quickly, but don’t forget to enjoy every minute of it because it’ll be gone before you know it.

Some things you should avoid are stressing out about the small stuff. For example, if you get a couple bad grades, it isn’t the end of the world. Another thing to avoid is getting on your teachers’ bad side. You should really just listen and respect them. Now this may sound dumb, but you should really avoid the girls’ jungle bathroom in the main hallway because it’s definitely the least clean bathroom on campus. Most importantly, avoid getting a bottom locker. Getting a bottom locker is the worst, trust me.

All in all, you should really study everything and learn as much as you possibly can because it will really help you get into colleges. You should also do as much community service as possible. It benefits not only you but many others as well. Don’t forget to have as much fun as possible!

Rachel Gaddoni

 

Dear Freshmen,

For incoming freshmen I would advise them to get into hard classes early. If you start out in easy classes and you move into harder classes then you will be used to the light load of remedial classes. I would also advise knowing what electives you want to take the most of and get them right off the bat.

The workload gets heavier and heavier as you go up in ranks, and if you start out freshman year you have no job, no homework, and a lot of free time. Well when you get to honors and AP courses, you lose that luxury. Also, some time in your sophomore or junior year you will get a job and this means NO FREE TIME. So if you get in then ASAP you won’t get used to the free time which is like losing a dog you never had.

If you know what electives interest you, go for them freshman year. This will allow you to know the teacher for all the years you are here; knowing the teacher can be quite beneficial and in the long run it will pay off. Find that elective and stick with it because not only will you be proficient in what you like but you will also have a good recommendation when it comes time for the real world.

If you follow these two basic principles you should be safe and not overburdened. High school can either reward you or punish you, it’s all about how you make it. So choose your choices wisely and do the right things.

Sincerely,

Austin Ferrell

 

As I sit here contemplating the burden set upon me, to help advise the youth of our school to be successful, I can’t help but feel that I lack the wisdom required to follow through with this delegated assignment. But I must attempt to help the oncoming youth no matter how great or little its impact may be. The most forthcoming idea that strikes me as I recollect my last three years of study is that as an oncoming freshman you must make it your personal duty to focus on both your studies and on your personal life and growth. You must be able and willing to devote yourself to the act of cramming and studying when the hour demands of it, but you must also spend your weekends most wisely by integrating yourself into the gatherings of your peers as you lose yourself in the moment and in the ever-changing melodies that associate themselves with these gatherings. You must never go so far as to forget who you are or what you are not willing to do, but you must release the hungry animal inside of your soul to become one with the life of such gatherings.

The one thing, in which I regret most while looking back into my past, is that I focused far too much on things of no importance. If you give all of your mind’s eye to your peers of the opposite gender and who they may perceive you to be, you are wasting your precious time and energy. Focus on getting done what needs to be done to the best of your abilities while being who You want to be and then others will notice you for who you really are. Be sure as to never become someone you are not to appease the crowd, because you will never find happiness under a cloak of deceit.

When in the process of selecting what courses to devote majority of your time and focus to, you must first consider what the weakest areas in your academic life truly are. Then you must work to improve and strengthen those areas of weakness in order to create a sounder base to build your academic career off of. The most essential and commonplace areas that must to be strong are those in the study of mathematics, in the study of the sciences, in learning from our history, and how to express one’s true intent in free flowing words. This is all of the thoughts and wisdom I can put together to assist today’s youth to become tomorrow’s silver lining. I feel good that I have made this attempt to lighten the burden from their backs by cautioning them of that which most weighs me down today. I only hope it helps those as not to stray off of the path to a brighter future for themselves, but to persevere and achieve their own greatness.

Aaron Samples

 

My advice for all the students coming into calculus is to always be prepared, don’t sleep, and pay attention.

One thing is you always have to be prepared for calculus class. You should already have your homework out and ready to be stamped. Always show your work or it’s 4 points off.

Don’t ever sleep in class and make sure you pay attention. If you fall asleep in class you will soon find yourself lost and confused and needing to call 1-800-Ask-Gary. I’m kidding about the Ask Gary part. But you will find yourself lost and not knowing where you are and how to work a problem out. I’ve slept and joked around with a buddy in class and I have absolutely no idea what we’re doing or how to do it.

So there are some words of wisdom for all new incoming calculus students.

John Thompson

 

School can be a challenging aspect of a teenager’s life. It’s the milestone to their future, and can easily make or break a person’s life. I wish that I had an older friend to give me tips so that I would be as successful as possible. So now I’m going to give you a little word of advice to all upcoming high schoolers.

First off, don’t ever let somebody let you think that the only year that matters in high school is your junior year. That is wrong. College looks mainly at 9th, 10th, and 11th grade and 12th just to check that you aren’t slacking. Your junior year is the most important and most looked at by universities. To me, this was the hardest part of high school because I started off wrong and it’s hard to raise your GPA, but it’s easy to drop it.

High school is important because it defines what college you can be accepted for. One thing I found out late in my sophomore year is that colleges look at a well-rounded individual. That means being a part of varsity teams, academic teams, volunteering teams, and all other school clubs. Make sure you participate in a lot of these clubs so you can be accepted to the best possible school. High school is fun and easy. As long as you try and give it your all, you will be successful and move on to college doing the same.

Carlos Giraldo

 

Dear Freshy,

As a new student to high school, I can definitely give you good pointers. The main things to watch out for are (a) people who just want to push you down to make themselves seem cooler, (b) people who have stopped caring about school or think that they’re too cool for it, (c) people who go around flaunting about what “cool” or “dangerous” things they have done to themselves and others. These types of people have the biggest influence over young people, like yourself, who are trying to figure out what actual adults are like. These people will not help you, but will convince you to want to do things that will harm you, or will hurt you emotionally to the point of giving up.

My advice to you is to just be who you want to be and do what is best for you. Don’t try and impress your friends by going out and doing stupid things, and don’t fool yourself into believing that things like “drinking” and “sex” are cool. And whatever you do, Do Not Let Your Grades Suffer! You may not care now because you think that you can make it up next year, or the year after that. The truth is it will still hurt you. If you need to study for a test, study. Don’t hang out on the internet all night, or go out with a friend. That friend might not be there next year, but your grade will.

Just try and do what is right towards you, and not others. Try and figure out who is really a friend (helping you study on the phone, or yelling at you to get offline and study) and who just wants a party buddy (asks you to skip this, help cheat on that). Don’t fall into procrastination temptation, and always try to find that one friend you can always go to for any advice.

Be true to yourself,

Christina Strickland

 

Dear incoming Summerlin freshman,

Do not exhibit any behavior that may conflict with the accepted standards of a respectful cadet. Any behavior unbecoming of a Summerlin Academy cadet will be dealt with with the appropriate level of punishment. Violation of the Honor Code, which states that, “A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do,” results in the most severe punishments and cadets are often expelled due to these violations. Most importantly, do not plagiarize on Major Porter’s research paper. He will, without a doubt, catch you and you shall be reprimanded.

If you want to be successful in JROTC, you must follow one guideline in specific: respect your superiors and those around you. By showing respect to your instructors, commanders, and equals, you will earn their respect. The respect of your peers will be your most valuable asset during your time at Summerlin Academy.

Your hopefully four-year attendance at Summerlin Academy will be extremely beneficial to your present and future, if and only if you are willing to follow the guidelines and lessons set forth by your predecessors. First off, you must follow the Honor Code and stay clear of trouble. Secondly, you must respect your peers and instructors. By following these guidelines, you shall improve the quality of your present life and broaden your horizons for the future.

With the utmost respect,

Cadet Major Jessie Erickson

 

Dear Blah,

Graduating from Summerlin has taught me many important aspects of life that I wish I knew as a freshman. So I’m here to give you the scoop for things I’ve learned, and what to look out for.

The biggest advice I can give you it so start out your college adventure early. Start visiting colleges as early as you can. Try to get at least 5 colleges that you really like and want to apply to. Also try to start applying to scholarships as soon as your senior year starts. The more scholarships you get, the less you have to pay for college!

There is a lot that you should avoid while attending high school. The number one thing is… DRAMA! You’re at school to learn and to get into college, not to be social and talk about who likes who. People who gossip will just take you off track because you won’t be focused on the important thing, college. So stay focused!

Though high school may be tough, it is still very rewarding. Getting an “A” on a difficult test or earning a prestigious award makes it all worth it. Having knowledge out of school about history makes you feel good. English will help you throughout your life. It will improve your speech and make you sound intelligent. Everything you learn in high school will help you in your future career, and ultimately in your life.

High school is a big challenge in a teenager’s life, but it’s all worth it. It has hardships, but a lot of positive moments like football games and homecoming. So have fun and stay focused!

Sincerely,

Lacey Kramer

 

Dear Freshman,

Welcome to Summerlin. This year, you’ll get a good taste of what life is like here. It can be the best year of high school, if you can adapt. I know it’s clichéd, but it’s true; do your work, and enjoy yourself, ’cause this is the easiest year you’re gonna get.

A few classes you need to look out for — Major Porter’s English and Major McCarty’s science class(es). Maj. Porter is a good teacher, so listen to him. Don’t expect writing help, expect to learn how to think. He’ll go into deep, in-depth discussions over seemingly random things — it’s to make you think! He’s brilliant, take advantage of it. As for Maj. McCarty, she’s OCD. Don’t know what that is? You’ll find out. Do what she says, and turn things in on time — she takes nothing late. I learned that the hard way.

Now, about the military aspect of the school: Follow orders. There’s gonna be some bad ones. In fact, more often than not, orders will be downright stupid. Listen, your leaders are learning, too. If you have a better plan, suggest it. Respectfully. You could help everyone, and get some respect yourself.

We’re all family here. More so after first semester. Need help? Ask for it.

Good luck,

Ryan Whitworth

 

Dear Freshman,

You start here at Bartow just this year, kinda like me, since I am just an foreign exchange student from Germany. But I already found out a lot of important facts and things i think you should know. Here at Bartow, you will experience many good things, but also bad things, which depends on how you want to be, which goals you set yourself, and if you really try to be a good, teachable, and willing student. There are some aspects I want to tell you about.

First off I want to tell you about the main part school is supposed to be about, the studying. Some very important things you need to do to not get the difficulties I had is to first do your work!!! If you just do your homework or even classwork, you will have a good chance to get a good grade. Don’t be sitting in class doing nothing while you could actually do work and keep your grade up. That is very important!! Also, when you come home from school, look over stuff you talked about at school or you learned and just take a few minutes to really understand it. If you keep doing that you won’t ever get lost, even if it is hard, but it just takes you 15 minutes a day, sometimes less, if you have to make up stuff you didn’t study before, you will spend twice as much time. Think about that. 😉 Oh yeah.. btw DO NOT FALL ASLEEP in class. It is sooo hard I know… I do it sometimes too, but you get lost and that’s very bad.

Anyways, now I am going to talk about the rest of the school. Lunch! If you need to get money on your account, you will wait in a huge line the entire lunch time, that means, if you are smart and either get it done before school or you just run, even if it looks stupid, to the pre-pay line, and you may be lucky to be the first one. They also don’t take too big bills, try to have the right amount of money with you when you pay, or they can’t give you change (already happened to me). Well, let’s see… just be polite and respectful, everybody likes it to be respected and treated nice. So keep that in mind! Even if you don’t feel good and have a bad day, people easily get a bad attitude, especially teachers. And if you are nice, teachers even forgive you when you once didn’t do your work and you can turn it in late. But don’t let it happen too many times.

I think that’s pretty much it, I can’t give you more advices, because I don’t know that school too well, I am kinda a freshman in 11th grade. 🙂

So I hope you have a great time at Bartow High School, the home of the champions!

Freddy Mehl

P.S. Do not whine! 🙂

 

As an exchange student myself who just got in America in September. I really don’t have any freshman or sophomore experience at BHS. But according to my study experience in China combined with my 4 months foreign study in America, I still have some good advice (At least, I think they are good= =!)

The first crucial point I am going to talk about is interests. Once you chose a subject which you even didn’t like, I bet you won’t spend so much time on it, so it will become the junk subject in the rest of your school year. If you involuntarily did it, I give you 2 suggestions: #1 change it as fast as you can. #2 make it become fun to learn. Otherwise, it only will be the waste of your time and your parents’ money.

Secondly, I am going to talk about the attitude. Or you can call it hardworking. But I’m not talking about the conventional hardworking. This is 21st century, to only work like a machine is useless. You need to be able to find the tricks or the shortcuts of the thing you want to learn. It will make it much more easier and also make your work efficient.

The last of all I am going to talk about are the potential pitfalls you might going to face. Everybody should have an experience that after a period time of hardworking, you will feel like going to give up. It’s human nature, no big deal. The big deal is you can’t compromise to your laziness, if you gave up, everything you’ve done before would become meaningless because you would forget them all!!!  Some of you guys might think that I am just a freshman, there’re still 3 years of high school life, I can take a little bit break and then go back to study. NOPE!!!!! You are totally, completely, ultimately wrong!!! The fundamental knowledges are the most essential part of the study. Only the firmest ground base can make the highest skyscraper!!!

Sincerely,

Limenglin Allan Cai