Most of these were written by juniors, to advise new juniors. The last several are written by sophomores, to advise new sophomores. They are in no particular order.

 

 

Wow, so you finally made it to the actual IB school. It’s kind of crazy to think you are only halfway through high school; if you’re like me at all, I know that you are hoping to fast-forward the next two years to get into college. But, I want to tell you to take the time to enjoy your junior year because it will pass more quickly then you realize. When I went to graduation this year, I could not believe that that would be me walking across the field in a year. I look back now and think of all the memories I had in the past three years.

Enough about me though. I’m sure you’re wondering what it takes to make it through your junior year of IB. I’m proud to say that I have never pulled an all-nighter; there have definitely been those days after one or two hours of sleep where everything was hilarious. A simple word that had no meaning could set the room off in uncontrollable laughter, whether it was after a math portfolio was due or English journals were collected. So that would be my first piece of advice: don’t put off homework until the last possible minute. Although I am sure that you have heard everybody tell you not to procrastinate, I know from personal experience. It is not fun dreading the night of essays that you begin at 11:30. I know that you will have the very good skills of working under pressure and being able to BS your way through a presentation. However, lack of sleep does eventually catch up to you and may lead to a feeling of crash and burn. As I look back on the projects/assignments I did last minute and the ones that I  broke into overtime, there is an obvious correlation over which ones were more successful and helped me better in the long run. The ones that I had broken up into segments received better grades, and I gained more confidence in my work simply because I had the help of time.

Time is the topic of my second piece of advice: there is never enough time in a day. Take every spare moment you have and work on what is needed to get done. Sometimes I would come home after school feeling very productive; this would help me to finish homework that was due in a couple of days or get a head start on a project. Other times, I was dead and worn-out. At these moments, I took a nap, setting my alarm clock at a decent time so that I would still have time to finish all of my work. Don’t ever force yourself into a position that you simply can’t handle. Instead, just work with that situation, take care of it, and move on the next thing that you have to do. Now, I’m not saying to never go out and have fun. Everyone needs a mental vacation in order to keep their sanity. This will definitely take priority in your life; however, be smart about what you know you can handle. If you are one of those people with horrible time management, there will be another party to attend, another football game to cheer at, and another movie to see. Handle your business first; prioritize your needs before others’ wants.

Finally, stay involved. This year I was a member of a variety of clubs and played basketball year-round. This helped me to make new friendships and look forward to other school-related activities outside of school. Although Bartow is small, you will be amazed at all of the interesting and unique people you can meet (outside of your class) if you simply get out there. IB is a family. Upperclassmen will help you with anything you need whether it is which classes to take, which teachers are funny, which AP tests are hard, or even who is good to date. Never be scared to come up and ask us anything; you are expected to do the same for the incoming 9th and 10th grades. This involvement, I believe, has also helped me prioritize my work and has forced me to be organized with my time. Without a hectic schedule of practice and relaxed activities, I don’t think I would have been as able to succeed as I did this year.

I really hope this helps; I wish you a fantastic year next year full of experiences and late nights. Good luck next year!

Julie Mahoney

 

Okay, so you just finished sophomore year. Hopefully you had a great time and made some good friends, because you are going to need them. Just to get this straight, junior year will be the most difficult year out of any so far in high school, but don’t fret, you can complete it. But there a few things that you are going to need if you hope to succeed: good work/study habits, a great set of friends, and a positive attitude. I will tell you my experiences just to show you the right things to do.

First off, good work and study habits are an absolute necessity if you plan on completing junior year without completely stressing out. If you procrastinate, stop it right now or you will regret it. I don’t have great study habits; I tend to study for tests only the night before and such, but I learned how to manage my time and I can honestly say that I only stayed up past  1 am once throughout my whole junior year. However, I did stay up till 12 or 1 am on multiple occasions. You may think that you will never stay up that late, and I hope you are right, but be prepared for some sleepless nights. So just hone your work and study habits and you will be able to cope with all the homework and projects that will sure be hanging over your head. Learn to manage your time!!

Secondly, a great set of friends can really make it all easier. My friends, those in school and outside of school, made junior year go by so quickly. It’s a great feeling to just be able to hang out on Friday and Saturday and not worry about school at all. Another thing that was great about my friends is that there was very little drama between all of us. Sometimes drama and those types of complications can make you dread school, just try to avoid it all costs. It is not worth it. As long as you have a group of friends by your side, even the most stressful times just seem to pass by. I suppose I could have survived without my friends, but I don’t want to imagine what that would be like…

Lastly, your attitude will make you or break you. If you dread going to school and despise all of your classes and teachers, school will be a living hell. Even if you don’t enjoy every subject, such as Spanish, just try to find something about that class that you like that will allow you to tolerate it. Just try to look on the bright side and you will do just fine in your junior year.

All in all, junior year is definitely difficult; however, it has been my favorite year in high school. You may have heard some terrible things about it, and yeah probably most of them are true, but just don’t worry. Take it day by day and it will seem just as easy as freshman year.

Brian Gonzalez

 

 

Dear incoming juniors,

This new year is going to be a lot more difficult than your sophomore year. However, if you are taking Physics, a lot of the pressure is taken off as well as the late nighters. If you are in Biology and have a bad work ethic, take Chemistry. Now, the most important advice I can give is time management. In order to succeed, make sure to keep up with your big IB assignments such as Math portfolios, Psychology internal assessment, CAS hours, English orals, and the English journal questions.

In spite of what all the seniors told me, I decided to leave the math portfolios, psychology internal assessment, CAS hours, English orals, and journal questions to the night before they were due. I took this route because I cannot work efficiently without the pressure of the assignment being due the next morning. By working at the last minute I am forced to concentrate, thus I save time while maximizing my scores. If you can work on portfolios a week before without getting distracted that is the best approach to avoiding the unnecessary stress.

I recommend you risk getting bad grades, stress, and a tired morning where you cannot get out of bed or drive without dozing off every so often. Finally, keep up with English journals or you risk the zero or low grade because she randomly scoops up notebooks. Lastly, keep up with CAS hours by getting them signed and logging them when you complete them.

Nathan Phen

 

Dear Up-And-Coming Junior,

I hope you’ve enjoyed the relative tranquility of your freshman and sophomore years. You’re now going to become a junior, and things are going to change. You’ll officially be in IB, which means all kinds of extra things to do (CAS, Math portfolios, TOK), and if you take the route I’ve taken, six of your seven classes in your first semester will be AP classes, some of which are IB classes as well. It sounds intimidating, but I’ve written some good advice to get you through such a demanding year.

My first piece of advice is probably the one that will come hardest to you initially: don’t worry. My first semester consisted of AP U.S. History, AP Statistics, AP Spanish, AP Art, AP Language, IB Precalculus, and AP Biology. Needless to say I was worried, especially since Mr. Goss was my first period teacher and he continually told us how hard he was going to work us. People who took biology knew the excessive work they were getting into as well. However, after two weeks or so I just let go a bit and went with the flow. You become less stressed and more confident in what you can do. I think this is the best advice I can give you.

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last two years, you’ve heard all about managing your time. It works, and plays into my first piece of advice. If you know what you can/can’t do and when, you’ll be far ahead of the game. This ideology is first tested in your junior year. Teachers tend to tell you about big things (tests, projects, etc.) about a week beforehand. Some even hand out a full syllabus of dates for the next few weeks. Use these to your advantage. Never let yourself have absolutely nothing to do in one night; you’ll just have a ton to do the next night. When I first get home, I take a break for about an hour. Sometimes I take a much needed nap. Then, I start working on something. Maybe Kennon gave us notes today on cellular respiration, so I study a little bit of what we went over in class today so I can remember it. Maybe Goss gave us a worksheet on a Monday due Wednesday and it looks easy, but we also have a huge Spanish test on Wednesday. I’d do the worksheet that same Monday and study a little for Spanish, leaving Tuesday to study a whole lot more. Do what’s easiest first to knock it out of the way and focus on the bigger picture. It really saves your time, prevents you from unnecessary stress, and can even get you more sleep.

My last piece of advice is to get involved. Junior year is supposedly the hardest, but because of that, you and your fellow classmates will become much closer because of it. Your teachers know this. They don’t just give you a ton of work to kill you, they do it to push you and make sure you learn which, if you stick it out, you will and the knowledge sticks. Knowing this, make time for some fun. Join art club, participate in the school play, enjoy epicurean club. Not only will you have fun doing these, you’ll also knock out CAS hours, which are the last things you want standing in the way between you and your IB diploma.

Your junior year isn’t a walk in the park. I personally didn’t think the transition was bad, but I’d be lying if there weren’t several weeks that I didn’t think I was going to get through. Just be confident and go with the flow. Your teachers know how hard you work, and some are very lenient and understanding (Smith and Frisbie). If you stick it out long enough, some of the seemingly evil teachers will become understanding and appreciative as well (Goss and Kennon). This year is supposed to be a unifying experience between you and your classmates. I know it was for me. Don’t waste time complaining about how tough things are, just get them done. Afterwards you’ll have time to hangout, work on hobbies, and sleep. If you follow my advice, I’m sure you’ll be able to get through your junior year and remember it not in disdain, but thanks.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Talit

 

This junior year at the International Baccalaureate School at Bartow High has been an amazing adventure. I have learned so much from all of my classes, it’s a definitely a privilege to be here. When you get to become a junior next year you should keep up with your grades at all times. Academically, it’s imperative to stay focused on school. Junior year is the big year when colleges and universities look at your performance and what you’ve accomplished in the school year. Try your hardest on each and every little assignment. Every single point adds up, and depending on how well or bad you do on one measly little homework assignment, can affect the overall letter grade and thus the GPA and possibly even your college of choice! No matter how small the task may seem, go at it 100%. It’s all worth it in the end.

Another thing to take into effect in junior year is sports. Sports are a great way to relieve some of the stress in IB. The workload is plenty, but I’m sure everyone has a couple of hours to devote to a sport. Sports are excellent opportunities to meet other people, especially other people within IB. With sports you can keep a healthy balance of the mental work and physical work involved with high school. As long as you learn to manage your time wisely, as in no procrastination or slacking off, you can achieve anything you want in this magnificent program. I feel like sports are a way to forget about school for a bit, and to have fun spending time doing something you truly enjoy that brings immediate rewards.

Last but not least, don’t forget to have fun. Yes, the workload is enormous and will take some time getting used to, but you will eventually be able to handle it all. These last 2 years of IB greatly prepare you for what’s in store. And that piece of knowledge makes it worth it to endure the weight of the work given. Take a Saturday off to yourself or a Friday night with your friends. It’s best to give yourself a break when needed in order to stop and enjoy life. But remember to take that into moderation as well, your work and the quality of it is important. Don’t rush through things or expect to finish things faster. Distractions or unforeseen consequences may arise that would hinder your work. If you work hard, you’ll play hard.

Kyle Guerrero

 

Hello future IB-er. I am proud to see that you have made it this far in your academic trek. At the end of your sophomore year in Pre-IB, you’ve probably made up your mind as to whether the IB program is for you or not. Well, here is the teacher by teacher break-down of classes you are to take.

For history, you will have Mr. Gary Lynn Goss. In addition to keeping you entertained with his “Goss-isms,” he will successfully drill AP United States History into your head. You will end up doing nearly the entire workbook. It also coincides with your American Pageant textbook, so don’t be afraid to work ahead in preparation for his tests. Most everything he says in class will be pertinent to your chapter tests, so if he spends a lot of time on a certain section of his notes, you should indeed make some markings on this section: however, one can’t do this if they haven’t obtained the notes from his website the evening before the lecture. He is notorious for misspeaking though, so beware! He will mostly have the entire year planned out the first day of class, so don’t hesitate to ask about schedules or deadlines within the course. Don’t lose any rubrics, graphic organizers, charts, or learning objectives he gives to you. These are all awesome reviews for the 6 standardized tests he will give and the AP test in May. He will respect you if you respect him. He is also not afraid to have fun, so be prepared! ALSO, if given the opportunity, he will make a wise crack at you, and he will laugh looong and hard.

For your math selection, you will have the option of Pre-calc or the one that Naki teaches that I can’t think of the name right now. But you would have had Naki for Algebra II, so I presume you already have an opinion formed on him. But let me take this opportunity to the world of Frisbie. Ms. Frisbie will be the most devoted high school teacher you ever have, mainly because she will probably end up working harder for you than you do for her. She makes our lives in there so easy, with her endless resources and unique approaches to viewing multiple concepts. She knows a little bit about everything… seriously. You will learn something new every day, whether it’s related to math or not. Don’t be afraid to ask her questions. She is here to help us succeed and reach our full potential. She is also a teacher who loves to have fun. DO NOT FINISH HER SENTENCES OR PISS HER OFF!!! Unless you would prefer that she look down upon you, then by all means, please continue. Don’t be afraid to retake tests either. With some it’s a pride thing, but your grades, in the next 10 years or so, will take you farther than that extra ounce of macho-ness in you.

English is another big one. Ms. Smith is a sweetheart. Treat her right, she’ll treat you right. Read allll of the books. Keep up with your journal questions. And always anticipate a pop quiz. Your vocabulary studies will keep your head above water, so do well on the tests and sentences. She is always willing to help her students and stay after, and she’ll gladly hand out her home number in case of emergency. As I mentioned before. if you take advantage of her, you are asking for it in that class.

In respect to your sciences and sixth course option and TOK, you will have had all the teachers which concern those course choices, so your opinions and preferences will play into that.

The main thing about the IB program is that if you are not having any fun, then you don’t belong here. Besides that, stay on top of your work. Every all-nighter can be prevented when one does not procrastinate. Best of luck to you all and I hope this has helped.

Michael Lyons            

 

Dear friend,

Looking back, this year has had many ups and downs. Luckily, there have definitely been more ups, and it might be reassuring for you to know that the “downs” could all be easily avoided. With this being said I will give you three big ideas to keep in mind next year as an IB/BHS junior.

Firstly, everyone gets onto you about not procrastinating. If you’re a normal student, you probably will try to take this information to heart but somewhere along the way it will get lost and you will have forgotten not to procrastinate. In a sense, you will probably procrastinate procrastinating. Since I cannot honestly say that I have not procrastinated this year (because tonight is a prime example), I will say that there is a significant pleasure out of having a paper due the next day that everyone else is writing, when you only have to make some minor changes and can go to bed early. Also, in the cases of biology extra credit projects, math portfolios, CAS, English journals, and extended essay information, there is never a time when it’s too early to start on an assignment. A nice thing this year though, is that you are basically used to the workload because it’s your third year in IB. Also, you have hopefully become better friends with everyone in your class and have realized that everyone is really smart and talented also, and without a doubt can provide valuable advice and input.

Secondly, if you have already forgotten my procrastinating advice – say goodbye to sleep. A major aspect of IB to me is the lack of sleep that we acquire because of the loads of homework. If you haven’t started yet, I would say to buy yourself a great coffee machine, a wise investment especially when you’re running out of the door half-awake. Also, an alarm that works really well is important. From past experiences, it needs to be loud and annoying. Your parents and family probably will not appreciate it, but if you’re a deep sleeper like myself then you will need it! I’d also advise that you should sleep in classes other than math, because then who would catch all of Ms. Frisbie’s mistakes?

Lastly, I can look back at Junior year and maybe have a few regrets about getting lower grades than I wanted but I am happy overall because I packed so much into this year. People often worry about having regrets. I think I unknowingly try to prevent this by trying everything. I think the best advice I can give is to get involved. From making paper-mâché spiders, taking art club pictures in Bartow for the wall in Zaxby’s, planning the cheesy Titanic prom, driving through Sonic with the Tennis team, going to Orlando for FBLA state, or volunteering at numerous events, I have developed a sense of this school being my home. I think everything gets a lot easier once you are comfortable in your surroundings. Also, if you are a complainer about everything, you should get involved first and realize the effort that goes into anything. It’s a lot harder to complain about something you planned, and you’ll hopefully find that your input is very valuable. Do not be afraid to get involved, and never turn down opportunities. I often find myself regretting that last statement when I have 4 things planned on the same day, but for the most part it makes you a well-­rounded better person. Most importantly, have fun. Good Luck!

Stephanie Bandyk

 

Dear Nabil,

Junior year of IB sounds a lot harder than sophomore year of pre-IB, and to be truthful, it is. All of your classes this year will be both IB and AP courses and it is important to keep up with your work load and learn the material for important AP tests later. Regardless of how terrible and scary it may seem, junior year was a LOT of fun for me and as long as you keep up with assignments and get to know your teachers, it will be a manageable year with some really fun experiences!

First of all, you want to make sure that you get to know your teachers on a personal level. This isn’t an easy class where if you don’t understand a certain part of the chapter, you can just breeze over it and hope that you pick up the information later without asking your teachers for help. This is especially true for fast paced classes like US History with Mr. Goss and AP Biology with Mrs. Kennon. These are both extremely funny and friendly teachers, so don’t be intimidated to call them with questions or stay after class to get extra help! You will thank yourself later. Also, get to know your teachers because they become a huge stress reliever for you. I always loved Mrs. Kennon’s class because we all really got to know her this year and had many, many entertaining conversations with her that took our minds off of the stress of IB. This is true with other teachers too, Mr. Goss is really fun to joke around with, Mrs. Frisbie can find all kinds of funny stuff online to give us a break from grueling pre-calculus lessons, and Mrs. Smith has plenty of funny memories from her more rebellious teen years she’d probably be willing to share with you.

Along with getting to know your teachers, do not procrastinate on important things, like English journals and homework. Assignments do catch up on you and there is enough work to stress you out already without having to juggle a pile of late work and a line of angry teachers. English journals, as tedious and time consuming as they may seem, are important when it comes to preparing for your IB orals. The key is to spend a little time every week working on journal questions so you do not end up with a stack of unanswered journal questions the night before they are due. Also, when a teacher (such as Mr. Goss) suggests you read the chapter, it’s a good idea to do it. Although it may seem boring and “pointless” to you at the time, reading the chapter and getting acquainted with the information before the cramming session the night before a test will improve your test scores without a doubt.

Finally, it is important to stay on top of CAS. From my and everyone else’s personal experience this year, it is difficult to have to track down project leaders and sponsors months after you completed an activity but were too lazy to get the proposal approved or your work evaluated. Write the proposal, get it signed BEFORE you complete the activity, and make sure the leader evaluates your work. This will save you time, stress, hair, and money on chocolate you have to buy Mrs. Smith if you want her to sign your proposal after you already volunteered. Avoid the end of the year CAS hassle by getting your paperwork done during the school year, you will be very happy to know you can relax while watching your classmates scamper around trying to get everything signed off before the last day of school.

Most importantly, have fun! Join clubs, run for leadership positions for your college applications, make time for your friends, and enjoy everything while you can. I have a feeling senior year is going to be harsh!

Love always,

Stephanie Michalik

 

You have heard many things about junior year. Some of those things are good, lots not so good. This year you must buckle down and get work done. This year may be a lot of work and tests, but it is manageable. Depending on which science you take can be a major factor towards those sleepless nights or late hour studying. Biology consists of lots of labs and tests, all handwritten. Physics is about 2 labs a semester and tests about every 9 weeks. And the same goes for Chemistry but they do many labs. So, your choice with the sciences can affect how many hours of sleep you get at night.

Also, in choosing your SL IB elective course choose what you are interested in rather than what you think is the easiest. Psychology, art, band, and engineering are your choices. They are for the most part an easy A and an easy pass on the AP exam and IB exam. So in making your choice just go with what you have the most interest in, and might pursue later in college or other college level classes.

Don’t fall behind in doing journal or CAS hours for English! EVER! The journals can make or break your English grade. They help a lot for the tests also. But, when you don’t do them your hurting yourself for senior year and all the world lit papers and when you take the tests a lot of the journal questions come straight from the journals or can be found near the questions for the journals. So just do them! Also, with the CAS hours, get your proposal and hours logged and keep up with it. When you fall behind it makes the last few weeks of school stressful trying to get the required 75 hours for junior year. Another point, try and get as many hours as possible junior year. The school play is great creative hours, any sport, and NHS service opportunities all can get u hours. Work with Mrs. Smith and get it done!

Junior year can be fun if you let it. Don’t stress out over the work load. Make time to chill with friends and just let IB be like any other high school. Have fun, it doesn’t last long.

Taylor Graham

 

Dear rising IB Juniors,

Junior year is a time of breakdowns, meltdowns, headaches, all nighters, stress sessions, and numerous other ordeals we’d all love to avoid. All though it’s not anyone’s definition of fun, it’s not that bad either. For all of you brave enough to continue into the “real IB,” here’s some helpful hints.

First, foremost, and most importantly (did I mention this is really major?), DO YOUR JOURNAL QUESTIONS. Ms. Smith is never going to tell you when or if they’re actually due, so don’t fall behind. Your journal will haunt you and your inability to sleep because of the questions you still haven’t done…  3 months after Ms. Smith gave them to you. Also, make sure you keep up on your reading assignments because pop quizzes will kill you, and your grade, if you don’t.

Second, when you take AP US History, listen to Goss. If he says read his notes, read his notes. If he says read the book, read the book. If you read the notes when he says read the book, most likely you’ll flunk the test for that chapter. I’m sure you’ve all heard about Goss from us by now, so just accept the fact that you will all be “scum buckets” and “fish-eyed farfleheads” the minute you walk through the door.

Last, keep up with your ToK assignments second semester, it’s actually important. You really don’t want to rush to get all of it done at the end of the 9 weeks; it’s close to impossible.

If nothing else, remember that junior year is not going to be anything like your last two years so just go with the flow and don’t let it get to be too much. Try not to stress and make sure you get plenty of sleep, even if it seems unlikely. Good luck IB Juniors of 2011!

Sincerely,

Livia Galloway

 

The people who said that IB was no cakewalk were definitely telling the truth. Junior year was substantially harder than sophomore or freshmen year, both in workload and the actual coursework. Even with all the work, however, junior year was enjoyable. By following a few simple guidelines, one would also find the first year of the IB school to be tolerable as well.

Time management is hands down the most important thing to remember during junior year. With biology labs, math portfolios, and journal questions all generally due on the same day, one would be wise to plan their time carefully and not let things wait till the last minute. Procrastination has the potential to be deadly during junior year. You start digging yourself into a hole, one that is mighty hard out of which to dig yourself. Procrastination should be avoided when dealing with CAS, as well. Filling out forms on the second to last day of school is definitely an added stressor, one that is completely unnecessary. A lot of heartache can be saved by merely getting your hours done, and getting them properly signed off.

Additionally, one would be advised to actually do their work. I will admit, there are times when I don’t want to do anything; however, putting off those journal questions time and again not only makes them build up and stresses you out, but it also hurts you on tests and quizzes. Doing the journal questions is beneficial; doing the math assignments is beneficial; even Kennon’s worksheets are beneficial. You only hurt yourself when you do not do your work. By completing your assignments, and doing your best on them, you actually learn something, which helps you greatly on the tests, AND it gives you those extra points that I know you will need come the end of the quarter.

Junior year is stressful, no doubt. I think it is important for students to remember that they are not perfect, and that they still are only kids. Time should be taken to relax and enjoy yourself, to hang out with your friends and family, and to do recreational activities that are not for CAS or NHS. Finding an activity that you enjoy, whether it be playing an instrument, reading, or riding horses, can help to alleviate stress. Also, students should do their best to avoid social drama. The point of school is to learn, not to find a boyfriend, or whatever. Establishing strong friendships is a great thing, but when friends start to get petty, I would advise to stay out of it. The extra stress is not worth it.

A lot of students say that junior year is the worst. So far, it has been, but it has not been too terrible. By keeping time under control, and doing your work, and taking time for yourself, one can navigate the waters of IB successfully, and make it out on the other side alive. Of course, as bad as junior year is, senior year is definitely harder. The worst is yet to come…

Shea Keene           

 

Dear Upcoming Junior,

You’ve finally reached it. JUNIOR YEAR. You can finally say you’re a legitimate “IB Student” (finally after two years!). You can have a chance to begin to experience IB classes! IB workload! IB assessments! IB stress! And best of all, IB exhaustion! Sounds great right? I mean junior year has had its upsides too so don’t feel too bad, it’s completely survivable; you can handle it. As a former junior I guess there’s some pointers and advice I can give you for the coming school year from what I’ve experienced this year. So, here are a few words of wisdom.

Coming into junior year, I know that I had some very bad expectations. I was dreading junior year, and I thought I’d be up all night every night doing work for the entire school year. That, you should know, is NOT how junior year really is, so please, don’t waste your time dreading it as much as I did! However, do expect to do a lot more work this year, and expect more to be expected of you. Teachers will expect you to keep up in junior year, and the old procrastination fallback will realllllyy get you in some trouble this year if you’re not careful. You’re going to be having more big assignments than before, and things actually start to matter more now. The things you learn junior year will be really important for your senior year and getting your IB diploma, so you really might want to consider not procrastinating on everything. If you take Biology, you’ll be writing MANY bio labs, there will be the English journals, English orals, and math portfolios, and of course, CAS hours! Basically all of those are things you should really try to keep up with as much as you can, because if you don’t, it will come back to bite you in the *butt*. Take it from me, I was up until two doing the first math portfolio because I put it off, and I didn’t finish it until the day it was due at lunch and, it still sucked. And really, journals AREN’T bad if you do them as you read. Trust me, reading the books and doing the journals as you read is something you REALLY want to do. For biology, I have two pieces of advice for you: #1, don’t call Mrs. Kennon a horrible person, even if you think you’re talking to yourself. #2, don’t kill the flies on accident during the drosophila lab, that might cause YOU to lose your life. Lastly, try to do your CAS in a sort of timely way. I mean at least do SOMETHING. You’ll be glad if you do.

Junior year will be a hard year, but you’ll be okay. Don’t procrastinate too badly and keep up with your work and you’ll get through the year and before you even realize it, it’ll be over. Do the work, but don’t let the stress get to you. Believe me, you will always do a lot better if you just relax, get away from the stress when you can, give yourself a break on the weekends, and just be confident in your ability to succeed. Confidence is everything! And with that, I wish you luck for your junior year!

Paige Ferguson

 

Advice for the Upcoming Class

Junior year has its share of good moments and bad moments, funny moments and sad moments, and relaxed and frustrating moments. Overall, I would have to say that junior year is pretty good, and it passes by very quickly. Classes become more fun, which is one reason why the year passes by so fast. Everyone will know each other more, as a majority of the class will have been through 2 years together, if not more. Junior year also seems to be a year where many students do sports; doing sports in junior year is good, but it will be a hard work load, and if you get easily stressed out, don’t do sports. Lunch also seems to be more fun, as all your friends will be in one table, and I guess, since everyone is more connected, it’s more fun to eat lunch. Here is some advice about classes, and overall school related things.

The best classes, as in classes where there is almost no homework would have to be psychology and TOK. Classes that you would have to pay attention in would be Biology, if you take that as your science, History, Math, Spanish, and English. In my opinion, since I took this as my science and know from friends what the other sciences do, Biology is, without a doubt, the hardest class of all junior year. There’s plenty of advice I could give about bio from my experiences; first of all, don’t procrastinate on Mrs. Kennon’s homework. This can lead to doing 10-page labs up till midnight, if you wait till the last second. Also, don’t spend too much time reading that unbearable bio book; her tests come straight from her notes; speaking of notes, listen in class when she goes over the notes because it helps you understand the lesson better, and it also gives you some test answers. History is probably the second hardest class only because you have to read the chapters in the book if you want an A in the class; if you read the chapters, read the chapters, and partially listen to his lectures, there should be no problem getting an A in the class. Even though my opinion is biased, Math is an easy class if you do the homework; doing the homework is very helpful, as it gives you practice for Mrs. Frisbie’s tests. If you stay awake in class, try to get as many errors as possible because you can get candy. I can’t really give you advice for Spanish, since we have two different teachers, and you probably don’t need my advice for that class. In English, I would listen when Mrs. Smith comments on the books, as she gives answers to journal questions; journal questions will be very frustrating, especially if you don’t keep up with them. My advice to you about journal questions would be to keep up with them, as Mrs. Smith can pick up the journals whenever she wants.

Even though junior year seems unbearable from the description of the classes above, if you keep up with your work and not procrastinate, you should be fine. There will be some days when homework takes forever, and there is a insurmountable load, but don’t give up, because the reward will be great in the future. I hope this advice is helpful for your upcoming year as a junior.

Robin Thomas

 

Dear estimado amigo,

CONGRATS on getting into the International Baccalaureate program. You should cherish this opportunity and embrace the challenges ahead of you. There are many, trust me! However, regardless of the copious rumors you’ve heard, you can do it. Speaking of rumors, there are a few clarifications that I’d like to make. In the IB program, you will have to work painstakingly hard; that is definitely not a rumor. In a more positive light, EVERYONE in this program internationally will be working just as hard. When you get exhausted or sick of work, just think about this: you are one the few privileged students in Polk County to have the opportunity to take classes at the IB School. At IB, we have classes that aren’t offered anywhere else in the county such as Theory of Knowledge (TOK). We are THE IB School, the one that you know, oh yeah, is the 7th best in the NATION! Plus, you can only benefit from the program: IB will prepare you for college, give you an edge on scholarship opportunities, save you college tuition money, and will extend an invaluable education. What more could you ask for, right?

STRATEGY 1: Having said the aforementioned, IB isn’t all work and no play. You can have just as much fun in IB as you would in a traditional school if you learn to manage your time well. Use freshman and sophomore years to your advantage by becoming more efficient in your work. Make TTDs (Things-To-Do lists) and prioritize. Although this may sound a little nerdy (okay, I guess really nerdy), checking things off a TTD list is one of the most gratifying feelings in the whole world.

STRATEGY 2: Next, I know that procrastination is spelled procrasti-NATION; therefore, everyone does it. Still, you should try to avoid procrastinating. Junior year would have been a lot easier for me if I had just not waited until the last minute. Of course, sometimes you just have so much on your plate that you can’t help but wait until the last minute. That’s understandable to some extent. The following is a list of things that you should not, under any circumstances, do: 1) wait until the night before the 150-point Drosophila melanogaster lab is due to collect data from your lab partners (only if you’re in biology does this apply to you); 2) put off your English journals until the day before they are due; 3) wait until the night before to study for an AP Exam; 4) prepare your 15 minute oral commentary at 3 AM the morning that you are supposed to present at 7 AM that same day. These are all big no-nos (Fellow IB students have done this, believe it or not). Yes, it is very tempting to procrastinate. On the other hand, not procrastinating is much more stress-free. When you have an excessive workload, you might even just prefer going to sleep. Think about this though: the work will still be there, unfinished and grinning at you, when you wake up. You might as well finish it and then sleep in peace at least.

STRATEGY 3: Try to begin working on a project or assignment the day it is assigned to you. In this way, you can ask any questions you may have. This especially applies to the math portfolios that you will be required to do if you take Ms. Frisbie’s class. Additionally, most teachers will give you some time in class to work on important assignments. For instance, Ms. Smith allots class time to finish journal questions. Therefore, pay attention in class and follow the teacher’s instructions. The teachers are there to assist you, and they are willing to stay after school to answer your questions. Come test time, you’ll be glad you took the time to do so.

STRATEGY 4: Do not sleep in class. It is very disrespectful to your teachers. Some teachers won’t even reprimand you, but it’s still not okay to sleep. Knowledge isn’t acquired by diffusion (although, it would be pretty cool if that happened). Staying awake at school will give you a chance to sleep earlier at home. For example, if you pay attention in class, you won’t have to struggle with homework questions by yourself at home and can devote your time to other activities like sleep.

STRATEGY 5: Study, study, study for tests. In English, read the novels. They are actually interesting and will help you with PSAT/SAT/ACT vocabulary and in augmenting your reading speed, which is always beneficial. Read the textbook chapters and the notes of Mr. Goss for history tests. If you still have time, peruse through the AMSCO study guide too. Look over the notes Ms. Frisbie e-mails you and skim the chapters in the Precalculus book for formulas, vocabulary, and examples. Don’t just “wing” a test. Grades are easy to bring down and hard to bring up. Remember, extra credit is scarce.

STRATEGY 6: Be a good sport. Don’t brag about test grades or your accomplishments. The taller the bamboo grows, the lower it bends. Don’t show a condescending attitude toward Bartow High School students. Some of them are equally smart even if they don’t go to IB. Each and every individual has a unique talent for which they can and should be applauded.

STRATEGY 7: Be optimistic and smile. The IB program is a lot more worthwhile if you have sweet friends with whom you can laugh about the stress of IB. Your arduous labor will pay off when you earn that long-awaited IB Diploma!

I wish you great success!

Con mucho amor,

Pranali Dalvi

 

Ahh, so you’re finally a junior. Half of IB is over and now you only have half left. CONGRATS! You’re so close. So very, very close! Even though it tends to be the harder half, hang in there and you will make it through. The closer and closer you get to college applications, the more you’ll realize why IB is truly worth every all-nighter.

Many upperclassmen before me told me, “Junior year will be a breeze as long as you don’t procrastinate.” I have heard this advice time and time again. I took it for granted and so I’m going to go ahead and pretend that you guys are probably going to procrastinate just like almost every IB junior before you. I’ve learned that IT’S OKAY TO PROCRASTINATE as long as you do it the right way. The truth is there is just so much to do junior year that it is so much easier to put it off until you absolutely have to do it. In this case, just remember don’t let the workload overwhelm you. Take it one class at a time and one assignment at a time. Even if you have a biology lab, AP United States History Standardized test, and Pre-Calculus portfolio (these things are ridiculous… no lie) all due on the same day, just take it one assignment at time and drink lots of coffee. It is completely possible to get through all of it and come out with good grades. And, the best part is everyone in your class is doing the exact same thing as you. Don’t feel like you are the only one.

As far as specific classes go, make sure you do the work when you are supposed to. In English, make sure you read (When I say read, I mean like take the book and read every word in it. Don’t just SparkNote it.) all the books for first semester. If you don’t read, formal English orals will be really hard to get through; if you do, you will do really well. Even though orals are 15% of your IB English grade, don’t stress them! In Precalculus, make sure your grades are pretty high before the semester finals because those things are beastly! In AP US History, Amsco is really helpful and a pretty quick read when you’re short on time and especially great for standardized tests. For biology, study (in other words, memorize) Mrs. Kennon’s notes and look at the pictures and diagrams in the book and you will be fine on her tests. In AP Chemistry, make sure you keep up with your reading in the textbook and do your lab write-ups when you do the lab because otherwise you’ll forget everything you did in the lab. AP Statistics with Naki is by far the best semester elective. Naki has the best stories and stats really helps when you get to the statistics and probability unit in pre-calculus. AP Spanish with Sra. Calvo isn’t as bad as most people say as long as you study the stuff she tells you to review. Doing well on her pop quizzes is important if you want to get a good grade. Last but certainly not the least, ToK with Mr. Guice! This class is probably one of the most interesting classes you will take in IB and Guice just makes it better. Make sure you stay on top of deadlines and get stuff turned in when you’re supposed to for your extended essay.

Although grades are important, don’t completely sacrifice sports or extracurriculars. They are just as important. Make sure you keep up with CAS paperwork otherwise you owe Ms. Smith a lot of candy when you eventually decide to get your paper work signed off on.

Junior year in IB is probably one of the hardest and most fun years of high school. You get really close to your class and make some great memories that will last a lifetime. Junior year flies by so cherish it! Remember to work hard, but play harder. J

Good luck,

Prachiti Dalvi      

 

It’s 2009, and I have one more year to go before I graduate. Many things have occurred this year, and it has been a fresh new experience. It was technically the first year of true IB, and if I had a friend, named Bob, who would go through the same experience, there would be much I would tell him. Hopefully the things I would say would provide him with insight that would help his career as an IB student.

There have been many things that have happened this year such as English Orals (both in and out of class), Math Portfolios, and other projects. First of all, I would tell Bob to stop procrastinating. Procrastination has caused a lot of problems for me; I would have to stay up till 2 a.m. or so just doing an essay I procrastinated. So with things such as math portfolios, Bob should look at the prompt as soon as he got it. He should try to work out the problem so that he would be able to ask Ms. Frisbie for help if he needed it. Or for something like biology extra credit assignment, starting early would not only help you add more pertinent information, but also study better. Studying early also helps a lot. If I would have studied a lot earlier for tests I would have a better grade and be a lot more prepared for semester exams or AP exams. This would not only benefit Bob with school now, but would help him getter better class rankings. Another thing I would tell him is to be quiet while the teacher’s talking, even if he knew the stuff. This not only shows respect for the teacher, but also would cause a lot less trouble for Bob himself.

Each subject though has its own way to get better grades. For math I would advise Bob to learn how to use the calculator well, the calculator is a great help and can cut down the time u use during a test. For a science like biology I would advise Bob to make good use of his time and review Mrs. Kennon’s notes as often as possible. For Spanish it would be best to go over grammar about 10 min or so a day, and go over some vocabulary so that when writing an essay for Spanish he would be able to improve the teacher with exquisite words. In English Bob should buy the books early, that way when it’s time to have the book, sometimes it’s sold out when the book is required. Bob should also read the books by the deadlines; there is usually a quiz the day it should be read. The questions on the quizzes are usually specific so Bob should read the book carefully. These advices should help, at least in my opinion, but people have their own views on subjects. So basically Bob should not procrastinate and become more proactive, even though you can still survive without doing these things it would help immensely.

Erie Uy

 

Dear Marcus,

It has come to my attention that have been accepted to the prestigious IB program at Bartow High School. First of all, I want to extend my congratulations to you on making such a fine achievement. As soon as 1 heard the news from your mother, I was immediately thrilled, not to mention proud. It brought me back to the day when I found out that I got accepted into the IB program. My parents were so proud. It made me happy that something like this genuinely made my parents proud, because this does not usually happen. But in any case, I’m really glad you made it in.

Now, I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, because IB is no walk in the park. It is a tough program, and those who fall behind will stay behind. This is a big step from middle school, so I want you to be ready for whatever they throw at you. Here are some of the things I learned from my stay at IB. Some of them I had to learn the hard way. Always organize your stuff. Your room needs to be clean and organized in order for you to have a clean study area and to be able to do homework efficiently. Manage your time wisely. The workload increases exponentially over the four years your there, so you need to adjust to everything your teachers have for you to do. Set aside specific times to do certain activities and have a schedule. It may be hard to follow and keep up, but in the end it helps very much. Also set aside times to relax, but not too much, as much of your day will be concentrated on schoolwork. If you’re doing any sports or other activities, you’ll also have to factor that into your schedule. Never forget homework, as you will be heavily penalized for that. Never hesitate to ask questions. If you don’t understand something, it’s better to learn it now than when you take the test. Never cheat. The school has a very strict policy on that. Try not to procrastinate. You may end up doing it a couple of times which is normal, but doing it many times can be unhealthy for your well being. And most important of all, make friends. Having friends will make sure school stress never gets to your head. In the situations you will be in, the students of the IB program will be tighter with each other, and over the years, you will develop bonds and friendships with all of them. Spend time with them and have fun, because high school can be the best years of your life. Just always remember that your studies come first.

So, next school year you will take the big step. Not only towards high school, but toward the IB program. It will be a long and difficult road ahead. And it will take you through some of the roughest academic times, but that’s why your friends will be there, so they can help you out. And in the end, it will be worth it, no matter how bad things get there, in the end, I know you’ll look back and say that everything you experienced, even the bad ones, was worth it from the future you receive. I know I did. Well good luck on your upcoming studies. I know you’ll do well. You always do. See you when I visit again.

Sincerely,

Patrick G. Emralino

 

Dear Upcoming Juniors:

Run! Run and get away while you still can!!!!! No, don’t I was just kidding, but junior year unfortunately is not a joke. There are moments when you would rather shoot yourself in the foot and run a mile than get up and go to class and then do homework, but don’t go there. Junior year is not overall that bad, although it is stressful it’s still not impossible. The year’s all about two main things: planning and, just as importantly, finding time for other things that take your mind off of school.

It’s really important junior year to plan out your assignments and remain organized in following your plan. It’s really great to finish the assignments early if at all possible. For example: in History when he tells you that you have whatever workbooks due and gives you multiple dates in advance get as many done as quickly as you can, and in English if you get journal questions or vocabulary sentences do them the day that you get them. If you stay ahead of the easy, mundane assignments, then you won’t be scrambling and screaming and pulling your hair out to get them finished the night before the test. And, if other inconsiderate teachers pour on the heavy assignments then you need the extra time those other nights for lab write ups, or take home tests or whatever and doing ten different things. I’m not giving the tired old “procrastination is bad” speech because that is definitely annoying and sometimes procrastination is beneficial. If you can do all but one assignment on one particular night, and have an opposite of the due date in between (whether it’s A or B), then go for it. Do what you can do and sleep or go out to eat, or even to a game or practice for a sport of activity you do. Distractions are beneficial to relaxing you and therefore keeping the shooting in the foot or hair pulling from happening by getting stress levels under control. Even more so, like I said before, doing the mundane and repetitive easy assignments is helpful to giving you more focus on the harder stuff and “studying” that you do two hours minimum a night, every night, right? And, doing homework in other classes is a great way to get yourself even more free time or time to do the hard stuff. But, this only works if you know which teachers don’t care or pay attention because if they get angry you could end up seriously behind and then you’re really in trouble. Planning is key and getting ahead is great.

Now, back to the distractions, since I got distracted from them in my previous little speech. Distractions, whether they’re fun extracurriculars, hanging out, or even just watching TV and sleeping, are really helpful in keeping the emotional breakdowns from occurring. Now, this isn’t “blow off your homework start failing” distractions, these are things you do when you have made time to do what you want by finishing your assignments or at least enough of them to not fall behind. Being involved in something that’s very little academic involvement on campus gives you plenty of time-consuming fun things to do. For example, I’m on dance team, flag captain (yeah I’m that awesome, not being cocky or anything), and between competitions and practices I get plenty of breaks from studying and homework, IB is totally draining and therefore it’s important to GET A LIFE. That gets you out of your room and away from the textbooks and laptops and so many other evil things you have to do. And if you’re lucky you get CAS hours for it too. This gets you out of work and gives you an excuse why you’re doing it.

Overall, junior year isn’t terrible. It’s not always fun, but definitely can be at times. Just remember to make plans to stay ahead and keep some distractions or outside activities to stay less stressed and therefore more rested and focused. If someone actually reads this who is an upcoming junior… Good Luck!

Kayla Taylor

 

Dear upcoming juniors,

First and foremost I would like to congratulate you for completing your last year in Pre IB successfully. I hope that you enjoyed your free nights, your own full year electives, and your ability to procrastinate and still make it through. Wow, where do I begin. This year was completely filled with a lot of work (academically speaking), as well as a lot of growing up. The transition from sophomore year to junior year is a huge transition that involves preparation and tons of advice to take from students like myself who have just completed the year. Before I begin,  I’d like to say that although it may seem rough next year it’s totally worth the feeling of completion that one gets when it is all over, especially when you look back at everything that you survived at the end. It’s a priceless experience that gets you motivated to continue on in the journey because although every step, or grade level one completes gets harder as you go higher, your motivation also increases because you look at it and say if I could do all that I know I can complete the rest, and that is my attitude now about going into my senior year (no turning back).

So next year you all will be juniors, your first year in IB, so you will need a few pointers on how this works. This is the first year you will need to do assignments that actually count toward your diploma so you will need to make sure to manage your time very well for these assignments. They are not the assignments you can blow off because they are pretty important. You will have your Internal Assessment in Psychology if you decide to go that route. For this assignment it would probably be wise of you to start on it very early and recreate an experiment that really interests you and not necessarily the easiest one (The Stroop Effect), so that you can learn a variety of experiments to use as examples on the IB exam. You will also have to do your TOK essay, TOK presentations. Although it’s almost like practice, take them seriously because when your senior year rolls by and you have to do the one that counts, you want to know what you’re doing. I would suggest doing your TOK presentation in a group as well because you get to brainstorm together and you’ll learn a lot about taking different approaches to knowledge issues. Another huge thing that counts would be choosing your extended essay topic, subject, research question, and supervisor, and doing your preliminary outline and bibliography. Again, keep up with Mr. Guice’s deadlines and you won’t be stressed. The deadlines for these things are evenly spaced out and he gives them to you at the beginning of the semester so you have tons of time. Be sure to do all of this before the end of the school year so that you have all of these things ready to start in the summer. Also, make sure that you enjoy your topic and you are comfortable with your supervisor. For example, I am very involved in my church, I love to learn about theological subjects and about Christianity as a whole, so I was inspired to do a World Religions paper about analyzing why the Catholic church emphasizes Mary and the Saints while the Protestant church simply emphasizes God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as the only figure head. Because I am so interested about learning about my topic I can’t wait to write my rough draft during summer. Another IB thing to do is your English oral. This was probably one of the things that I was mainly worried about because you have to stand up in front of the class and give an oral commentary. You will do two of these this year and the greatest advice that I can give you is keep up with your journal questions, and listen to ALL of Ms. Smith’s advice because it really helped me. She is looking out for you and she makes the experience very comfortable for you. Next, you will have your Pre-Calc portfolio if you go this route. My advice here would be to start working on it the day you get it so that you can ask Ms. Frisbie any questions you may have ahead of time. Don’t try to over think every question and be sure you understand what every question is asking for (don’t assume). Be sure to use as much technology as you are able to but if you don’t know how to do something correctly using technology then hand write it so that you can at least get your notations right. The greatest advice I can give you for portfolios and Pre-calc in general would be to go to Ms. Frisbie for anything you may doubt because she is always there to help. Saying that she is always there to help is even an understatement here because I am serious when I say that she will go out of her way to make sure that you understand something and that you just succeed in her class in general. So don’t take advantage of her and just be grateful to have her next year. (I really mean this Ms. Frisbie, I’m not just saying this because this letter is part of my final.) If you take Biology (which is a really wise choice by the way), be sure to start your fly lab write up really early not only because it’s an IB lab and it’s important, you’ll be able to brag about being done when everyone is pulling all nighters to complete an approximately thirty page lab. With regards to AP Spanish, just force yourself to speak Spanish in Spanish class and watch the Spanish channel like Ms. Calvo says, it will help tremendously on the AP exam. For AP Psych, just keep up with your note cards and you should be tine. Psychology is mostly common sense and memorization anyway so it’s kind of a gift on the AP exam. For AP US History, Goss is an amazing and I learned so much from him this year through his fun lectures. cheesy jokes, learning objectives, timeline worksheets, annoying workbooks, his videos, and his random records. He definitely gives you all the tools you need for the AP exam so listen and pay attention to him. Also, actually read your textbook. Don’t stop reading once you get to the end of the civil war at the end of first semester and you are piled with lots of stuff. Sure Amsco, Goss’s notes and the course notes online are super awesome, you don’t get the full gist of it. That’s what happened to me and I had to read my entire review book and have last minute review sessions days before the exam (which helped because I thought the AP test was easy). but I could have saved myself some trouble if I had read all along. For AP English, just pay attention all year long and the AP test will be as fantastic as FCAT. For AP Biology, again Kennon made it her life priority to fully prepare us for the exam so all you have to worry about is taking a few practice tests on your own and REVIEW PLANTS even though they’re boring. About CAS stuff which will be a huge part of your life, be sure to always get all your CAS activities approved before you do it and try to get all your hours done before the end of the year like me. It’s doable just make sure you do some in the summer, and join sports, clubs, and walks. Well I think that is a brief summary on what should be expected from the IB and AP perspective. This may seem overwhelming but you’ll get the hang of it.

In addition to this, your junior year in high school is one in which you will grow up real fast. You’re finally an upperclassman so you still get to go to homecoming, and all the rest of the dances but most importantly you get to go to prom. One thing I would advise here is girls save your money on outfits, hair, clothes, etc., because I realized that although prom was extremely fun, it’s kind of like the other dances so wait till senior year to go all out, especially because you leave there all hot and sweaty anyway from dancing so by the time you leave nobody realizes that you spent over $100 on your dress, not to mention hair and makeup. Also, try and do fun stuff that you’ll be able to remember for a long time like calendar contest, club field trips, and going out with your friends more often to parties. Don’t let the hormones that come with growing up take control of you this year because a lot of my personal friends unexpectedly made some bad choices due to this and it cost them a lot. This year many experiences such as these allowed me to really grasp the fact that whoa I’m a seventeen-year-old junior in high school and for the first time I think I’m realizing some of the realities of life that were supposed to be sheltered from me. Live life to the fullest and let go of limits to be able to learn some important life lessons that come during this time of life, but don’t go too far. Have fun and don’t let IB stress you out too much because your life comes first regardless and the fact that you’re in this program is an honor in itself so continue to be a normal teenager when you start so that you can get the best of both worlds. If you work hard and stick to it, it will all be over before your very eyes and then you can finally say okay I just have to do this one more time, like me.

Sincerely,

Lola Adeyemo

 

Dear Bobby Joe:

I am writing you this letter to warn you of the perils of IB, and to give you some advice that you could use to greatly improve your high school life. IB is really hard for someone who’s not a complete genius and tries their best in all subjects, so my advice for you is to organize your time wisely, stagger your effort, and don’t fall into the traps!

Organization is quite possibly the most important aspect of IB, perhaps a little less so than academic aptitude, but still ridiculously important. Set aside time in your day to study for the classes with tests coming up, and make sure to keep to the schedule, and not play around and set stuff back…. Your sleep will thank you. When you have your EE stuff to complete for Mr. Guice, you need to talk to your supervisor right away and set up a time to chat. It’s extremely important to manage your time wisely. If someone wants you to come over and chill, make sure that there is nothing that you need to be doing first. Organization is the difference between a failure and those super smarties in IB.

To go 100% in every class is both insane and inefficient. It takes oodles of effort in some classes just to stay afloat, but in others full effort is a little over the top. Stagger which classes you put more effort into, decide if you’d rather have an A in a subject that matters in your future and a C in one that doesn’t or a B in both. Compromises may have to be made to excel in those classes which you find to be most important.

You hear from everybody who comes out of IB, “Don’t procrastinate!!”, and I’m telling it to you too. Hopefully you can take a hint and actually listen (unlike me), because it will help you immeasurably. There’s another thing that you need to watch out for, and this one’s killer: Mr. Goss. If he tries to make fun of your name or calls you some insult from the ‘60s, just yell back at him, “Up your nose with a rubber hose!” or some other retort. Don’t actually cross into the realm of picking a fight, however, because Mr. Goss is very uncool to be on the bad side of. In pre-calc, try to stay awake, because there’s a statistically significant correlation between staying awake and learning stuff and catching errors. Mrs. Frisbie is not very fond of people finishing her sentences, also.

So wrapping up, there are three things you need to succeed in IB: organization, priorities, and smarts when it comes to the common errors of students. So Good Luck, and I hope you have a great junior year in the actual IB program!

Stephen Samples

 

This year turned out to be a good one for me overall. There are a couple of things I would like to say to rising IB juniors to make the road less bumpy. Learn to manage your time well and don’t cheat. These things will keep you on the straight path.

The first thing I would tell rising IB juniors is to manage your time wisely. There is a lot of work junior year, but if one works at a steady pace it seems a lot less drastic. Putting off big assignments until the night before will make you consider suicide, so don’t do it. Staying up doing English journals, or math portfolios sucks and will make everything else seem harder. Just do assignments as you get them and you won’t get bit in the butt.

Another thing I want to tell rising juniors is not to cheat. Cheating is bad. There is no good in it. The best work is original work anyway. Teachers aren’t dumb. They know when you cheat. If you get caught you’ll have the worst feeling in the world. You’ll have to talk to Dr. Vetter, which is never fun, and your teachers and peers will always label you as a cheater. Just say no when it comes to cheating.

Hercules Stancil

So, you’re finally beginning your junior year of IB (and yes, you are actually IB now, not pre-IB). A lot will be different, trust me. My main piece of advice for you is to take everything seriously. Yes, it is generic to say, but if you always do your best, I promise you will succeed in this program.

A few things you do (or don’t do) this year of high school you will regret: that’s normal. But learn from your mistakes. Don’t put off your English journal questions, or TOK essay, or EE papers. Don’t put off math portfolios or psychology internal assessments, either. The key to IB is to do the work, have a social life, and get seven hours of sleep at night. If you can, you’re a boss. Play a sport to get those Action hours for CAS. And Chess Club and Epicurean Club for creative hours. Don’t forget to do CAS forms. And actually try to be good at Spanish, because knowing that language will actually help you in the post-school world. In your free time, try to read books for fun. Don’t let the IB required readings stop you from enjoying books. Do the AP US history workbook exercises – those actually help.

If you feel overwhelmed and want to drop out: stop, take a deep breath, and think long and hard. Talk to a teacher about it, make a list of reasons why or why not, talk to your parents, siblings, Mrs. Cavanaugh, even Dr. Vetter. They are your friends. And above all, don’t cheat. All the late nights and study sessions will pay off. Do the work, you won’t regret it. You will be ready for college.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” – Steve Prefontaine

Daniel Madrid

 

Dear incoming junior,

Welcome to IB. You are going from pre-IB to the real deal. Drop out before it’s too late! Just kidding. It’s not as bad as everybody makes it out to be, but then again I took physics. From all the complaints I’ve heard from the bio kids, I’m really glad I took physics. But don’t take physics just to avoid biology. I’m not trying to put down chemistry or physics, but if you really want an IB diploma, take biology.

I’m sure you heard it a million times not to procrastinate. It’s very good advice, but I’m not going to bother to repeat it. I know no matter how many times you hear it, you’ll end up doing it anyways. One thing you don’t want to procrastinate is on Ms. Smith’s journal questions. They are endless and you don’t want to wait for the last minute. Trust me, I know.

Also, it’s a good idea to take stats if you are taking precalculus next year. It helps to have seen probability once before you encounter it in pre-calc unless you are like me and still won’t get it no matter how many times you see it. Another thing you don’t want to procrastinate is on portfolios. They may look short and simple, but it involves a lot of thinking. Also, use the time Ms. Frisbie gives you wisely.

I hope you take some of my advice and have fun in your junior year.

Good luck,

Ambily Joseph

 

Right now, it’s the last day of school, and I am writing an essay that is due in half an hour. This essay basically sums up the life of a kid in IB. IB is a vigorous learning program that has a lot of homework and a lot of projects.

However, IB is a fantastic experience. You not only learn a lot, but you also make many friends that you wouldn’t find at a normal high school. And, even though there is a lot of homework compared to a normal high school, you will still have some free time to have fun. Furthermore, you do lots of projects, but the projects themselves can be a lot of fun. And the teachers at IB are phenomenal; unlike most teachers, they actually try to teach the students and help them if they need it.

Lastly, I was told the minimum number of paragraphs you can have is three, so I will leave some advice. Do not procrastinate! This is probably the single best advice you should follow. If you look at pretty much any other essay, you will see their advice will be “do not procrastinate.” You probably will not follow this advice. However, there are some ways to pass IB with procrastinating. Probably the best way is to make friends in IB, both in your grade and in the grades above you. This way you can “work together” with friends in your grade, and also you can get work from older students (you know, for checking homework and stuff). Anyways, IB is a ton of fun, and I highly recommend that you go through all four years of IB.

Trung Nguyen                                     

 

Little Bacon,

Don’t let the name  “Pre-Calc” scare you. Yes, it is in fact a tough course, but you are very smart and can in fact conquer it. Number one on my list of advice: don’t tick off Mrs. Frisbie. She is an awesome, funny, and very informative teacher. You will learn a lot in her class; just learn from Shane’s past mistakes and don’t make Mrs. Frisbie mad. However, in the end, because of your “smart” mouth, you most likely will tick her off. But don’t worry, she will still love you. Ha ha.

I know that going to school is a very hard and tiring task; however, don’t sleep in her class. You will be very sorry in the end. I realize that you are a math wiz, and think you are just the bomb. However, the bomb will be dropped on you, the “F” bomb if you sleep in her class. Or you could simply be given a name like “drooly Julie” if you sleep in her class. Another piece of advice that goes along with this kind of is: don’t work if at all possible. It is extremely difficult to balance work and IB.

Last and most important of the advice is: don’t miss her class. You may think that you can look in the book and figure it out for yourself, but I promise you, you will learn a lot more from Mrs. Frisbie than from a textbook. She is one of the best teachers out there because she doesn’t only teach you math but she teaches you about life. And even though she send you her notes via e-mail, I advise you to take notes in class to make sure it sticks.

You are going to do amazing next year. I can’t wait to see if you grow up to look like your brother. Ha ha. I love you bunches.

Whitney White                       

 

Dear class of 2011,

There are three classes in particular that I would like to give advice about. First there is pre-calc. Do not finish Ms. Frisbie’s sentences, because if you say something that she was not planning on saying, she will get mad. And trust me she is much more funny and awesome in a good mood. Another thing, do not use a late pass and then realize two months and four chapters later that you have a zero. The work is so much easier if you do it when it is in your mind instead of going back and trying to figure out what the heck to do! I learned this lesson the hard way and want you to learn from it, too.

Next, do not leave English journals until the night before she collects them. They are way more work than you think they are and you will probably get little to no sleep and still not get them done. It’s easy to procrastinate on them but it will come back to haunt you, mark my words!

Be thankful for your teachers, last but not least. They may be annoying you and making you do lots of work, but you will thank them for it in the end. They (IB teachers) truly do care about your high school career, even if they seem apathetic. Mrs. Smith will get you ready for those dreaded orals, and despite the rumors you will learn something in TOK.

Have fun and do your best!

Tom Adams

 

Dear tenth-grader,

First off, 11th grade is IB, not pre-IB, you can’t just goof off all the time. By now I’m sure you’re used to procrastinating, and yeah you can do that in grade eleven, but, you will have no life out of school. If your parents are as harsh as mine, I’m sure they are or you wouldn’t be here, they will ground you. Take pre-cal and English seriously, they matter. As long as you listen to Gary Goss’s nonsense, you will pass the AP exam, his exaggerations help. Take biology if you want your diploma as well.

If you follow these simple rules, you will make it through IB and be proud you did.

Tyler Fox

 

When giving advice, the first things that come to mind are what not to do. In IB it’s really easy to let yourself procrastinate and waste time. Don’t do that! The added stress of cramming a week’s worth of work into a single all-nighter in no way is worth the bits of fun you can grab here and there during the week. But by all means have fun, just after you get some work done. Nobody likes a dull boy after all.

Speaking of liking, pursuing a significant other can either be a great relief of stress or an even greater source. I would advise that you do find a boyfriend/girlfriend that makes you happy, just don’t get so overly involved that their moods overtly affect yours as well. I fell in love this year and things were great. However we loved each other a bit too much for our maturity level at the time. We basically drove each other nuts and inadvertently hurt each other a lot. Granted, it can be a lot of fun “wink, wink,” but it isn’t worth the trouble if you can’t get along unless you’re alone together.

Another really important thing to do is go to school! I missed a lot of school and I can comfortably say, “It sucked!” A day or two is nothing too bad but when it gets to be a week at a time the makeup work kills. You can be miserable at home or miserable at school. The only difference is how long you have to suffer. That doesn’t mean go to school if you’re dying, but if you can function you should go. Anyways my “not-to-do”s are don’t procrastinate, don’t fall too in love, and don’t skip school to much. Do that and you’ll prevent a lot of stress.

Nate Giggy

 

If I had to give advice to a freshman or sophomore getting ready for junior year in IB, the main point I would make would be to keep your life in balance. There is a huge temptation to either blow off a lot of work because you are tired or to devote your entire life to it because you want to do well. Neither is healthy. To not just pass IB, but enjoy it, you have to set guidelines for yourself. Know when you’re going overboard, how much work you need to do to achieve personal goals grade-wise, but also how much time you need with your friends to maintain your mental health. It is a fine line in IB between being responsible and having no social life, and it is yours possibility to keep walking that line.

Junior year presents a number of challenges, from sitting through CAS proposals to math portfolios to design labs in biology, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The most important thing to remember is that other students before you have gone through the same thing, and most of them have succeeded. It is not impossible, and after a little while, the amount of work doesn’t seem so bad. Getting ready for senior year has taught me the value of organization, and if you want to be successful, you have to remember, above all else, keep your balance, don’t get overwhelmed, and stay with your friends. With those three things, junior year will pass without any setbacks.

Julie Carson

 

Whew! The year is finally over and I get a brief break from cold classrooms, exaggerated lectures, and intense homework. I plan on enjoying my summer with family and friends every day. Though I am eager to begin my senior year and graduate from high school, I must keep in mind the events that occurred in my junior year.

The most memorable moments occurred this year. I’ll never forget meeting teachers the first day of school and coping with the chaotic schedules. Nor will I forget the first open house and how acquainted my mom became with Goss, Gummow, and Ms. Smith. The friends I’ve made this year were amazing. Not that I didn’t know any of my classmates, but the bond created between us was quite remarkable.

Any advice that I can give a sophomore at the moment would be a reflection of my personal experiences. The best information I can give them to help guide their journey through the program is to stay ahead. The requirements of such a program are designed to keep the students academically in shape and to give them a chance to flaunt their personal abilities. Regardless of how brilliant or dumb you think you are, keeping up with the work makes you smart. Doing the assignment when it is given to you may be your best choice yet, besides choosing to attend IB at Bartow High.

“The teachers are here to kill you, but to push”; that would also be something to tell a sophomore. Though all of my teachers at one point or another have intimidated me, I’ve grown to like them. Goss and his lame humor, Guice and his wit, Mr. Gummow’s charm, Frisbie’s abundance of knowledge (that I envy, and write as if you are not reading this), Smith’s enthusiasm, Kennon’s oatmeal-raisin cookies (she’s a great teacher, too!) And Señora Calvo’s accent (J). All of the teachers appear to the students in different ways.

Overall, I feel that my junior experience was a blessing. Letting go of old things, accepting the new and acknowledging the things I can’t change (like the existence of my late passes J). Keeping up with the work of this rigorous program is the most valuable information someone could share with you. Take it from someone who heard it, but didn’t listen.

Robyn McRae

 

Dear upcoming Junior,

You’re halfway there! However, you have the worst coming. Not trying to scare you, merely warning you. You are now entering the real IB. There is so much more to do junior year than there is your first two years. Almost all your classes are AP and/or IB classes, which means a lot of tests at the end of the year. This is good and bad, you get to miss school, but it’s for tests. Do yourself a favor, and actually study for them.

There’s a lot more new things to deal with this year. CAS hours are very important. Do the proposals before you do the hours. Make sure you stay caught up on the hours. Do your English journals, because believe it or not, they help. You have English and TOK orals, but they’re not that bad. Math portfolios can be difficult, but not if you do them early. The same goes for psychology internal assessments, or whatever other IAs you might have. Procrastination is the number one cause of IB kids being mean, cranky, unhealthy, etc. Avoid it, and you will feel a lot better.

Obviously, procrastination is a big part of IB, and avoiding it really helps. But staying optimistic helps too. You have great, hilarious teachers, who are, for the most part, nice and understanding. Be glad you have them, but don’t take advantage of them or rely too heavily on their help. It will come back to haunt you.

Regretfully,

Nico DiGioia

 

IB has been pretty fun this year on top of all the vast amounts of homework and hours of studying and there are a few things I would like to advise you guys about the 11th grade. First off you will be a junior and one more step towards freedom.

For school, remember to focus on big assignments and do not procrastinate on them. (I am telling you this wall I’m sitting in my last final on the last day of school writing this paper.) A good way to curb procrastination is to cut the assignment into pieces and make a date for each piece to be finished. Another big thing is your CAS hours. The forms for CAS can be difficult and very frustrating at times and they take a while to complete, but don’t worry, after a while you’ll get used to filling them out and shouldn’t have any trouble. Another thing is journal questions, these horrendous lists of questions on books, poems, or essays you read in class can be very annoying if you do not work on them over time.

For friends, make sure you have scratch work to save time for friends even as the work becomes more rigorous and time-consuming. Use your friends for support and to help remind you of your assignments. Another big thing is get active with sports and clubs – this is for two reasons – colleges like to see involvement in school and you can meet new friends. Overall I believe that this school is very enjoyable on top of all the work, and it is an experience you are sure to look back at and remember all the hard work.

Nick Rathell

 

To all of the upcoming sophomores and/or freshmen,

There is a lot of frivolous advice I could give you. I could tell you how to stay up all night or how to have a life and how to be halfway sane, but this advice actually has to count for something. The advice is basically as follows: be ready to work, don’t fall behind, and always stay positive.

Be ready to work, to work real hard. This is not a joke. You’ll feel like a fly trying to steal a block of cheese from Wisconsin. It is a huge amount of work and energy. The teachers, 99% of them, feel as if their class is the only class that matters. Don’t let them know the truth that that is far from the truth!

Also, don’t get behind, especially in journals. They will kill you! If you get behind, actually getting back to where you need to be is as tough as trying to eat dried rubbery meat. If you get behind, you are just digging yourself a hole to die in. Don’t get behind.

Last, stay positive. It’s really hard, especially this year, to keep your attitude up, but it is possible. Don’t freak your pants or spaz out, just do what you can (not what you want) and be as prepared as possible. All the while, smile. A positive attitude actually may help your grades. Crazy but true.

Good luck,

Socorro Dulay

 

Junior precalculus students,

Congratulations! You have successfully completed half of your high school career. Unfortunately, however, the half you have left is just a slight bit more challenging because of this little thing called IB. Do not worry, however! I have advice for you that will help you get through the year.

First of all, I hope that you entered IB of your own choice, or if not, you can put up with a lot of things to do what your parents want you to. There is no question that IB is a rigorous program. The one thing that will really help you to succeed in such a program is actually having genuine interest in the things it requires. If you truly care about what you’re studying, if you try to learn, not because of grades, but out of interest, things become so much easier. An otherwise stressful assignment becomes something you enjoy, and thus, you will do better. Passion is much more effective than apathy in getting things done. If you don’t really want to be in IB, you won’t do as well as you would if you did.

Procrastination is also another issue that can make the difference in success at IB, and not as much success. While everyone says how horrible procrastination is, it’s incredible how avoiding this deplorable habit helps. Procrastination is something I am engaging in at this very moment, in writing this very essay. This essay is due in about two hours and I am currently writing a while in another class. As you can see, the essay is poorly organized and not thought out very well, as is the case with almost anything one procrastinates on. Don’t procrastinate. Seriously. Your workload will decrease significantly if you don’t wait till the night before to do everything. I hope you will take my advice to heart. I guarantee you will do well if you do.

Asheen Zariat

 

First of all, don’t mess up the title of the essay you’re going to write. No, but really. You should do your history workbooks, read your English books, and don’t wreck your car.

Do your history workbooks. They actually add up to be a lot of points and they help you get to know the chapter well for the tests.

Read your English books. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve not read in English and gotten a D or C on the tests. The tests are worth a lot of points. Also, buy the books ahead of time. You can’t read them if you don’t have them.

Don’t wreck your car. You’ll probably get one this year. Trust me, pay attention to the road. The only good thing about a wreck is that you can blame the scars it leaves on a grizzly bear. The rest of it – not too great. It really sucks not having a car. So pay attention.

Do I really need a conclusion? Well, write conclusions. That’s my advice. And my conclusion.

Chaz Strawder

 

This ending year at IB (my third) brings back old memories both good and bad. I’m not writing this to convince anyone to drop out or quit, but rather to reassess their lives and to ask themselves if this is what they really want. If you already decided to drop out, then I’m sorry this program wasn’t for you (isn’t for everyone), but you can stop reading here. As for everyone else who plans on at least sticking it out for one more year, keep reading as some of my advice may come in handy to you.

First on my list of topics to discuss is an overly popular word, my personal favorite, procrastination. We all know who it is and how it’s bad, but IB students don’t really realize how bad of procrastinators they are until it’s too late. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m one of the laziest kids in IB and I’m not afraid to admit that. But I quickly learned that if I didn’t at least attempt to get things done on time, they’d stack up against me, usually taking its toll on my grades. Now I know you all think you’re the smartest group of kids and that you’ll always pull through in the end; bullcrap. I have trouble making deadlines and I “know” I’m the smartest. If I didn’t honestly mean this I wouldn’t be sitting here in seventh period writing it instead of doing my Spanish final.

Anyways, good luck to you all. It might seem like hard, obnoxious work now, but I guarantee that in the end you be proud you stuck with it.

Travis Gilliam

 

As much like a broken record as this will sound, I’ll go ahead and repeat it. Try not to procrastinate too much. Trust me. This is a veteran procrastinator here. Heck, I’m writing this little ditty after my seventh period exam, on the last possible day. For the last week, I’ve gotten about five hours a night due to rapid “catching up.” Your life will be made so much easier if you do things as you go.

The assignments are huge junior year. From seemingly endless journal questions (get them done or you’re screwed), math portfolios (less simple than you think, these things introduced me to the concept of an all-nighter), and Guice’s last minute 1200-word essay, to CAS paperwork (zzzz…) you can’t afford to be behind. Get things done in parts, so you don’t wear out your mind. Classes and day-to-day homework are not that much worse than previous years, but beware of anything that contributes to your diploma.

Most importantly, cut loose once in a while. Learn to let things that are out of your control (see: Spanish grades) go, and relax. Be crazy, do random things, and just have fun. We’re insanely overworked (and so are the teachers, so be nice) but we’re still teenagers. Go outside, join a sports team, get a hobby, do something other than school work once in a while. Just don’t get caught doing it, and don’t smile, your grades drop every time you smile. (Note: all things are safe in moderation, don’t have too much fun or you won’t want to go back to working a.k.a. me.)

Ben Deardorff

 

WOW! You guys are all juniors! By the way my name is Devki. Junior year is the most hectic, fun, frustrating and nerve-racking experience you will go through. After it’s finished you want to cry and laugh at the same time. There’s so much to learn and so little time. You have the best teachers and though it might not seem like it, there is a method to their craziness. The best advice to take into your junior year is to LISTEN to your teachers. Write down every little thing they are saying because most of the time they are answering questions that will be on tests. Spark notes is not that helpful for books this year. All of us learned that through experience. So READ the books Mrs. Smith assigns, especially House of the Spirits.

Procrastination has a love and hate relationship with IB kids, but above all do not give in to its persuasion. The episodes of House, Office, Charmed, Alias, etc., will come again, but you will not get to redo the Bio worksheet. I love Mrs. Kennon’s class. Even though you pull late nighters to study and do homework, her class just has this atmosphere of combining fun with learning. You might not think you know anything but trust me you do. The best advice is not to wait till the last night to do her 220-point extra credit assignment that she gives you, because you will be a walking zombie on the week of finals and believe me that is not fun.

Coffee and ice cream is what kept me going through this year. Try putting ice cream in the coffee and you will be able to make it through the night. The most fun and hilarious class of all is Mr. Goss’s US History class. His jokes are totally not hilarious, since I do not understand them. But you know, just tell him that he is a farfalhead and you will burn his house down and you will pass. In that class you will really appreciate all that you have, the country you live in, and the most important thing of all — the importance of BASEBALL. But above all you will learn to throw pens properly at him. No I am totally serious, I was taught the correct way to throw pens. With the combination of Mr. Goss’s class and Mr. Gummow’s psychology class, and Ms. Frisbie’s math class, I was finally taught how to “understand” sarcasm. Mr. Gummow is totally easy going and he really understands the pressure were under. So don’t really take it seriously when he snaps at you because he has those days. Then there is Ms. Frisbie’s math class. I am telling you, I am not good at math. The days of easy A’s in math are gone once you enter high school. But it’s like Ms. Frisbie drills information into your head without you even realizing it. Like you might not do so well in class but believe me you know stuff. She also knows everything there is to know and more. No, I’m serious. I didn’t know it was possible to know so many random things. By the time you leave that class you could make it to Jeopardy. No wonder she is in charge of A-team.

I leave ya’ll with this advice: Forrest Gump said “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” So do not give up because eventually you will get a really nice chocolate piece that will make you appreciate going through the IB program.

Devki Patel

 

Breaking out was just the beginning, now it gets a little more interesting. (Prison Break)

Yeah, they call it pre-IB for a reason. Consider it your baptism by fire for the challenges (read: labors of Hercules) that lie ahead. Everything, including your (relatively) easy elective class, gets a lot harder in the coming year.

Before you start despairing, I have some advice. It will sound a lot like everyone else’s, but that’s mainly because it’s universal truth.

•  First and most importantly, keep procrastination to a minimum. You will end up doing it eventually, it’s a proud IB tradition, but too much will torpedo your GPA.
•  Also, certain teachers are OK with late work and others… not so much. Even after figuring out which teachers take late work, don’t depend on it. It can pile up, and even the coolest teachers have days when they won’t be so lenient. Avoid.
•  “No Procrastination” definitely applies to CAS hours. 150 is daunting, but Smith and Delk approve a lot of ideas. If it sounds good, submit it. If you start something up, count it as a leadership position.
•  Sounds obvious, but stay awake in class. Falling asleep provokes the wrath of some teachers, and Frisbie makes jokes about you while you’re out. (Funny ones, but still.)
•  Caffeine is your friend. Also helps with the above.
•  The IB Corollary to Murphy’s Law: Long-term assignments will be collected on the day that most students have notfinished/left at home/completely forgotten them. Applies to Smith’s journals, Guice’s journals, essays from any class, and any project too big to fit in your locker. Be prepared.
•  Despite any signs to the contrary (see above), your teachers are your friends. You might even improve your grade by getting to know them better.
•  Take Design Tech. You get to build cool stuff, including a *special* project of your own choosing. Build a better mousetrap (or make it into a catapult!).
•  About Goss: He is über-conservative, will not actually burn your house (I think), does not think your mama’s left-handed, and in short, doesn’t mean a lot of what he says. You’ll understand him soon enough.
•  And finally, a word about us, your friendly neighborhood class of 2010: Do as we say, not as we do. Some of us (myself included) are just glad we survived to see senior year. Hopefully you, rising junior, will do the same.

IB veteran,

James Karson

 

Dear future IB Junior,

The courses I took this year were extraordinarily challenging, but still fun and enjoyable. U.S. History was my most challenging course, but I laughed so much in Mr. Goss’s class. Try and get History as your 5^th period class; it made a huge difference being able to review things in class the day before a test instead of two days before. As for your other higher levels, pick a science that you not only enjoy, but from which you would want to learn the material. You’re stuck with English as your third higher level, and it can be a fun class, but it can also inflict nightmarish punishment on you for procrastination. Read the books and study the vocabulary as though a quiz were to pop out at you at any second like a street mugger. Journal questions are not so bad if you do them in the daytime on a weekend; they seem infinitely worse when done during the night.

Organized notes help one a lot. Studying from an organized notebook just seems more preferable than studying from one that is out of order, and do not always study alone. The one thing that always helped me do well on math and history tests was having study sessions with a couple friends, including the time that I convinced them that a 5:30 am study session on a Tuesday was “just so much more convenient” than on the weekend and another time when a study session ran until after 10 p.m., which I still maintain were worthwhile sacrifices of sleep. Parents might scoff at the idea and think you are just using an excuse to hang out with each other, but if you stay focused and only digress a quarter of the time, than the review time has a greater impact than just studying alone.

Friends were the factor that influenced me the most in staying in IB; not one adult, family member, or stranger could motivate me more to keep up with my classes and not drop out than the idea of not seeing my friends from IB every day. Ninth and tenth grade are difficult, but changing to the real IB courses will push the limits of your sanity and doing it because you feel expected or forced to will only increase your resentment of the program. There is more to the program than just a good grade report. CAS matters, and if you try to get your hours through group activities, it is really enjoyable. This year I was in the school musical and on the swim team, and these two activities not only allowed me to form closer friendships with the other IB students who were involved, but I also met students from Bartow and Summerlin with whom I would have never had regular contact. There are some clubs at BHS that people join for CAS that have only IB students and they are really fun and worthwhile, but since you already know most of the people in your grade, I highly recommend doing activities that attract a variety of students from our campus.

You get internal assessment assignments this year for Psychology and Pre-calculus. Both are time-consuming, do not try and fool yourself into thinking that doing it the night before is worth the stress. You have at least three months to do the IA for Psychology; since it’s due about where the third quarter ends, doing it that week will detract valuable time from improving grades in your other classes. Since I went on the 2009 BHS German exchange trip and was leaving a week and a half before the deadline, I had to complete the psychology experiment and turn in the write-up before I left. Fortunately, the teacher allowed me to e-mail it in on the deadline while I was in Germany, but by the time I found out I had already completed most of the write-up and was overjoyed to learn I had an extra 12 days. Rarely have I ever experienced the feeling of relief in knowing that I have a comfortable amount of time to leisurely finish something of the utmost importance, and I am sure it was not a common feeling in Pre-IB. For the little assignments we get, it is not so important to finish those early, but for the IA’s and other IB required projects, it makes a difference, like getting an 18 out of 20 for the IA you did while still visiting another country instead of slaving away a couple nights in a row back home and doing worse.

And if you are thinking that going on that German Exchange Trip and having makeup work is IB suicide, you have no idea how terrible it really was to juggle daily play rehearsal, makeup work, and current work. But like I said, there is more to being an IB student than the grades, such as how the program prepares you for critically thinking about and considering the information you come in contact with in the academic sphere and being able to apply that to the real world and real issues. Going on the exchange trip and removing myself from my own culture and society for a little while forced me to analyze my own views and recognize the factors influencing the views of others. When you go into the IB courses, do not continue for the inflated GPA, for your parents, or for getting into a prestigious college. Those are nice things to have, but they will not matter forever. On the bright side, the life and character lessons you learn here will stay with you much longer.

Magdalene DuPree

 

If you are about to take the same classes I just took this past year, then I have some advice to give you. Study long and hard. This year I took History, half a semester of AP stats and ToK, Physics, English, Pre-calculus, French, and Psychology. There is much to be said about all of the classes but in general, you should definitely study for all of your tests and do all of your homework, or else you’ll fail the tests (this applies to pre- calc). Doing your homework forces you to at least try to learn the material, that way you’ll do well on the tests. This year is the first official year of IB and that includes Internal Assessments, Orals, Portfolio Assignments, CAS and the extended essay.

This year you’ll be taking IB Psychology, which requires an internal assessment. My advice to you is, don’t put it off to the last minute. You have to pick your experiment, actually do the experiment, collect data and then write it all up.  In English class you will have two orals. They are both different so pay attention when Ms. Smith talks about them because they’re important to your IB diploma. In Math, you’ll have two Type 1 portfolios. I once again recommend that you don’t put them off until the day before they’re due, because you’ll get a bad grade on them and that affects your IB diploma.

Now in terms of CAS, you should do some over the summer and at least half by the end of your junior year. The important thing to remember about CAS is to get a proposal signed before you do the actual project or you will have to bring Ms. Smith chocolate. Another important point about CAS is don’t put off your paperwork until the end of the year. You’ll be swamped with studying for finals, and you don’t want CAS paperwork on your mind. Also, in ToK you will begin prepping for your EE. You’ll pick out a topic, supervisor and do more preliminary stuff. The advice here is to stick to Mr. Guice’s deadlines. Don’t let them pile up, until the last day of school (you’ll have too much to worry about with CAS and finals).

That’s all the advice I can give you (which is a lot more than I got last year). The main point is don’t procrastinate and do your homework. It helps you on the tests. Best of luck to you, you’ll need it.

Margeling Santiago

 

Every year we make new mistakes and those that learn from those experiences end that school year a little wiser. Though I have made many, many mistakes over the past three years I have managed to learn a valuable lesson from one or two of them that I think should be passed on to upcoming juniors so that they can perhaps avoid making as many blunders. The two major advices I have to give are to never allow yourself to be distracted from your goals and to never choose temporary benefits over long term ones.

Everyone in the International Baccalaureate School should have a goal that causes them to stay up all night doing a homework assignment or to give up free time in order to do community service for CAS hours. That goal can be anything from getting good grades so that you get a car at the end of the year to getting accepted into an Ivy League college. There will be times when distractions will seem all around you; friends will have parties, videogames will be waiting to be played, even talking to a friend over the phone can distract you from doing a homework assignment or project and cause you to jeopardize that goal. When you have a goal that you keep sight of and use as a source of energy pushing away and turning down those opportunities to get distracted become easy tasks.

Another important lesson to be shared is to never sacrifice something that could benefit you in the long run for something that is immediately but only temporarily satisfying. A prime example of that destructive behavior is procrastination, in which you get the immediate pleasure of not doing work only to have to cram and do a poor job later on. Keeping an orderly schedule and doing work on time keeps you on track in all your assignments and helps your grade in the long run; on the other hand, procrastination allows you to not work on something immediately and spend some time to “chill.” All IB students should know by now that procrastination is not worth it and end up regretting it later, but few of them actually learn a lesson and end this activity. Now would be a good time to do so.

To recapitulate, upcoming juniors should learn to concentrate on their goals while avoiding distraction and to learn to not give up long term benefits for immediate gratification. It would be very useful if the class of 2011 learns these lessons quickly because this is the last entire year they have to build up their application qualifications for colleges and their grades are paramount.

Nestor Beltre

 

Dear rising juniors,

You probably have already heard that the year ahead is going to suck. Well as far as I’m concerned, it’s fifty-fifty. Your year will either suck or it won’t. So I suppose I will just go ahead and rattle off my words of wisdom and what-not.

First of all, if you are considering taking statistics as one of your electives because you are still unsure whether you would rather be a doctor or go to art school, reconsider. Wouldn’t you rather take another art class or learn about the human psyche? Taking stats will just pile more work onto your heaping plate of bio labs, CAS hours, Spanish review, and, oh yeah, that thing you once had that’s called your life. Remember that? Ms. Frisbie is a great teacher anyways — she’ll teach you everything you ever needed and/or wanted to know about statistics when you get to chapter eighteen. I know…  you can’t wait.

I would also recommend that you get involved in some sort of club or volunteer activity. Pick something you like. One of the best things I did this year was getting involved in the Art Club. It’s a great way to spend time with friends while getting your CAS hours done and helping out people at the same time. If you really enjoy what you’re committing yourself to, fitting it into your schedule is not a problem. And the people on the receiving side of your work are sincerely grateful for your help. Plus, volunteer hours are a great way to justify procrastination. What else could you ask for?

Don’t get too wrapped up in your work. That’s not to say that it isn’t important and you shouldn’t try, but life is going to be miserable if you don’t get any sleep or you ostracize yourself from your friends. One of my peers recently described to me how on really work-packed weeks she felt as if she didn’t exist. Like the whole world was going on around her while she just ate and slept and studied. I think her description was pretty accurate. Yes, there will be times when you have to suck it up and spend your weekend hitting the books instead of going to the beach or jumping on your trampoline. Yes, I know, trampolines are probably the best invention ever. But whatever you do, you have to learn when to work and when to stop. I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times before, but knowing how to manage your time is absolutely one of the most valuable things you could possibly learn in IB.

And remember — do your homework, pay the person who drives you to school lots of gas money, and don’t forget to brush your teeth. Read a book for fun instead of English class every now and then. And get to know your teachers a little bit. They’re all pretty interesting and incredibly helpful. Good luck, you guys!

Sincerely,

Rachel Cloyd

 

Dear Future IB Juniors,

Well, you’ve made it through Pre-IB, and now you’re finally into the real program. There’s a reason it’s called pre-IB and not IB and that’s because in junior year, it gets harder… a lot harder. To get through life as a junior you need to be able to do three very important things; manage your time, know your teachers, and most importantly, don’t stress out. If you can do these three things you’ll be sure to succeed your junior year of the pit of despair that is IB.

The first important skill is time management, which means no more “I’ll be lazy for like 2 hours after school then do homework.” Things like that cannot happen anymore. When you have homework at all it’s best to do all of it as soon as you come home. Doing so will prevent any late nights, and will also allow you to get some sleep (trust me, you need sleep to survive here; sleeping in class = a bad idea). If you feel like all of your life is being sucked up by homework, you are probably doing exactly what you need to do. Have fun doing nothing but homework!

The second thing you need to do is know your teachers. This is dependent on what classes you have, but the teachers you will most likely have as a junior are Ms. Smith, Mr. Guice, Mr. Goss, Ms. Frisbie and Mrs. Kennon. All of these people are fantastic teachers, but each has their own different quirks that make the class better. Ms. Smith, for example, likes to snarl when you agitate her. I mean like a straight up growl. Also she’s really nice, teaches English, and makes trail mix for exams. Take the most composed, laid back person you know and multiply their chillness by 100 and you will have Mr. Guice. He’s the ToK (Theory of Knowledge) teacher and is one of those teachers that is definitely not only a teacher, but a really cool older bro (which is like a friend, but cooler). He also lets you turn in basically anything whenever you want and he never gets mad. Mr. Goss is the AP US History Teacher. He’s a great teacher, and knows lots of bad jokes (in a good way) to keep you laughing. Mrs. Kennon teaches Biology and is, hands down, one of my favorite teachers of all time. She knows exactly how to explain everything. If you want to get your IB diploma, take Biology. And now Ms. Frisbie, I saved the best for last. Ms. Frisbie is one of the coolest and best teachers ever. She teaches Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus.

Not stressing out is something that some people do very well. I won’t lie, IB is difficult and sometimes it can add up. But the worst thing to do is to fold under the pressure and just let yourself get buried by the massive amount of papers and junk that you have to deal with. If you find yourself getting freaked out over an assignment just take a short break, maybe go on a jog, listen to music, or whatever. Everyone’s got their own thing that helps them calm down. Find yours, and use that each time you feel overwhelmed.

Shane McNutt

 

Ok, I’ve finally finished my junior year of high school and based on my experiences, I can give some advice to all of you who are going to take the classes I did. Read in history, don’t worry so much about Bio, and DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!

In history, you have to read at least the Amsco book, the AP book he gives you at the beginning of the year. It’s better to read the textbook even though the chapters are sometimes long and boring because that’s where the tests come from, but if you really can’t bear to read it, make sure you at least read the Amsco. It’s the only way you’re going to make a good grade on a test, unless you happen to be one of those students with amazing memories. But if you’re not, make sure you read.

I know you’ve probably heard from everyone in Biology, and probably those in Physics too, that Bio is so hard or that it’s so terrible, but it’s really not all that bad. Yeah, you have to do work, and write notes, do labs but they’re not hard, just time consuming at times. Basically, if you’re not lazy and actually do your work above mediocre level, you’re fine.

Last, but not least, don’t procrastinate. I’m a chronic procrastinator, and I can tell you it’s a bad idea. Make sure you do your work sometime before the night before it’s due, because if you wait, especially if you’re in Bio (Biology’s only bad if you procrastinate) or even with the math portfolio assignments, you’re gonna be so tired and stressed.

This is just some helpful advice you should follow to help you struggle through the rest of your life in IB.

Tatiana Hylton

 

Dear Katie and Grace McHugh,

My two favorite about-to-be-juniors 🙂 I know you girls are very smart and probably will do just fine without any advice but I will be happy to give you what help I can!

First of all, take biology. I know you are and that is the smartest choice.  You will do amazing on the AP test.  Kennon is one of the most knowledgeable teachers you will ever have.  Her tests suck but after you take the AP test you will realize how prepared you actually are.  She also is really fun.  Classes are never boring. Just make sure you don’t have a bunch of suck ups in your class. 7th period will always be better than 3rd.  When she loses her voice it is the funniest thing ever, so laugh a lot. She doesn’t mind that much. I will always be her favorite student ever but you can try to be one of her “favorites.” Also, always do the extra credit in her class. It will come in handy. Always make up your work before hand, and get ready to come in at 6 o’clock in the morning to take a test.  Call her at home; she loves it.

Stay on top of your CAS hours.  It isn’t difficult but tedious. Ms. Smith is pretty lenient about it and if your idea doesn’t quite fit the mold she is good about helping it fit.  Actually read all the assigned books.  When she says to read up to a certain chapter, actually do it.  Reading Sparknotes will get you nowhere.  Sometimes reading the actual novel will get you nowhere because the questions she asks are ridiculously hard and obscure.  It is really nice having her class first thing in the morning too, if you are late she doesn’t care. But Goss will give you a lunch detention, and it will suck.  But he is the coolest teacher, if he likes you, so be funny on the first day and tell him you are friends with Mike, Nico and Jaclyn.

DO FBLA!!!! It is soooo much fun. Definitely one of the best experiences of my life, for many reasons. You learn a ton about business, learn about dressing nice and get really close with an amazing group of people.  Mrs. Wiltrout and Ron are the coolest supervisors ever. You will love Ron.  Continue to play all of your sports but also look for unique opportunities that set you apart.  Colleges will love this but you will also be forced to do something that you wouldn’t normally be comfortable with.  It can really affect you in a good way. Stay close with the kids in your class.  They are the only people who will fully understand what you are going through.  Make sure you keep friends from other schools too. Don’t ever write off a certain college. It may end up being the only place you care about going.

In Junior year it is easy to lose focus and feel burned out but these grades are the ones that matter.. So stay dedicated.  And remember: You will always have it easier than we did because we had Calvo.

Love you bunches and bunches!!!

 Jaclyn Simek

p.s. Having Frisbie’s class fifth period is pretty nice! She learns to love you WAY more than the other classes and your probability of getting candy is pretty good.  If one person is singled out as being the premier mistake catcher, do not allow them to sleep towards the end of the year.  You will learn quickly how you took for granted the frequent candy gifts.

p.p.s. If you happen to sit right in front of her, make sure one of your best friends is close by so that when that friend makes faces at you, Ms Frisbie also is on the receiving end.

 

I am now going to be a senior and you are a rising junior. I have dealt with IB for three years now, and have been asked as an essay for the final exam to give you some advice. First advice, Ms. Frisbie is pretty much equivalent to awesome. Now that I have said that I would advise you that if you aren’t sure you want to be here, if you have any doubts about IB, then just quit. I have been in IB for all this time and think I may have stayed in too long. I have wanted to drop out since the second week of my junior year but I kept fooling myself into thinking I could make it. I was wrong; if you don’t want to be here it’s a road you shouldn’t take. It’s a path that if taken may lead you to do stupid stuff and no matter how hard you try it’s not going to make things go away. So I guess that is my most important advice doesn’t force you to be here and take this curriculum.

However if you do stay because you are like me and decided to do it anyway, or you are actually thrilled and happy to be here then I would suggest you don’t procrastinate. I know that is so cliché and probably everyone has told you that, but it is true. I know that you will at first do everything on time, but as time goes by you will put it off more and more until you are drowning and will do anything for a life jacket. In other words don’t procrastinate or you will feel like you are dying. Do all the work, and copying is ok once in a while, as long as it’s busy work. It may also not be a good idea to copy opinion based answers (I’m just saying, be logical on what you copy). Also if you are in IB then try having a good time. Spend time with friends and teachers, joke around, make people smile, it makes things a bit easier to breathe.

I don’t know now that I’m a senior I still want to quit but I don’t know if it’s worth it. Now I have the whole summer to decide, but don’t be here if you don’t want to and don’t put things off. Goss, he likes sarcasm and arguing if its friendly, Frisbie again cool just don’t get on their bad side, Smith umm I don’t  know might not want to listen to my advice on her, I don’t know what language or science you are taking and I took engineering so I can’t help you with psych. But yeah I hope I didn’t ruin your summer… just smile ☺☻ (let’s not be racist now)!

Alessandra Miranda

 

 

 

So, sophomore year was basically a train wreck waiting to happen. My French teacher hated me, I slacked off sometimes and got behind on my homework, I talked way too much during class, I had a horrible parking space, I failed every History test the teacher gave us, and I gained 3 pounds from the stupid school lunches. I was completely unprepared for the next level of pre-IB, and I would have loved for someone to have written me a letter about surviving the 10th grade. So, here it is. This essay will basically tell you everything you need to know in order to have fun (imagine that) in the pre-IB program…  without failing all of your classes. Yay! From schoolwork, to cheating, to respecting your teachers and getting your first parking space, it’s all here. (Well, it’s pretty much all here. If I wrote everything you needed to know, it would fill up a whole book. Oh, I’ve also attached a copy of the IB commandments, created by a group of tenth grade IB students at the beginning of this year. It’s not really serious, but it is pretty funny.)

You may have heard that tenth grade year is a lot easier than ninth grade. THAT IS A LIE. It only seems easier because kids tend to slack off during the second year of high school and also get apathetic about their grades. They wait till the last minute to turn in work, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing…  until they find out that they are failing because their work was done in a rush at the very last minute. So, do your work when it is assigned. Or, if you are really the stereotypical IB nerd, ask your teachers for the work ahead of time. Teachers are usually glad to see a serious student, and will be happy to tell you what the upcoming assignments are. Next, set a goal for your grades at the beginning of each semester. If, for example, you got a 97% in your AP history class during the first quarter, and you want an A for the semester, you only need to get an 83% the second quarter. You don’t need to be perfect in every class. Just do your best and meet your goals. If you try too hard, you are going to work yourself to death and, believe me, stress and high standards for yourself do not mix well. Also, make sure you don’t cheat. You may think those stupid lectures about “collusion” are just stupid lectures, but seriously, DON’T CHEAT. Dr. Vetter is not kidding when he tells us that collusion is bad. The truth is, if you cheat and get caught, you will get kicked out of IB… and your dreams of going to Harvard are pretty muck kicked out the door. Also, people are very competitive in IB. If someone is turned in for cheating, they may have to name names of other cheaters. You don’t want to be one of those names, so just don’t do it. Lastly, don’t miss a lot of school. It’s ok to miss a day every once in a while, but don’t miss school for long periods of time. Even if you get the work from all of your teachers beforehand, you will still have tests to make up and you will have missed valuable lectures. Try to come to school every day. (Unless you have Swine Flu!!!! Nobody wants to die because of you!)

Now, about those teachers… you are not going to like all of them. But, act like you do anyway. I don’t mean in a sarcastic way. Seriously convince your teachers that you love them. It will be better for you in the long run. You are not a liar if you do this, you are simply a sweet child looking out for your own interest. Also, pay attention in class. You may get bored because your Math teacher’s voice just seems to drone on and on and on, and you may not understand the big jumble of numbers and graphs on the board… but that’s probably because YOU WEREN’T LISTENING! You are going to fail if you don’t listen and/or take notes during class. Teachers usually only go over valuable information (also called “testing” information because it will most likely be on the next test). Oh, and for the record, Ms. Frisbie’s voice does not drone on and on… she is actually a very good teacher. You are more likely to find this situation occurring in Chemistry, because it is a very confusing subject. Before tests, it is good to ask the teacher about the test format. If it is multiple choice, for example, you may only need to read the chapter. However, if the whole test is fill-in-the-blank or an essay, you will need to study a lot harder.

Schoolwork isn’t the only thing you need to worry about. Bartow High School isn’t the cleanest or the safest place to be. So, here are a few tips to keep in mind while meandering through the halls. Carry an agenda with you at all times. Even if there isn’t a pass in it, teachers are less likely to stop you and ask what you are doing if it looks like you have a pass. I am not saying “Oh, it’s fine to skip class.” This pertains more if you are running late to third period because you had to finish a test. Also, don’t walk alone in the hallways. Even if you are just going to the bathroom, bring a friend with you. My friend made the mistake of walking past the boys’ bathroom by herself (running late to class) and this huge guy grabbed her and kissed her while his friends laughed around the corner. I don’t think you want to be in this situation… especially if you are a guy. So just walk in groups. You should also consider brining your lunch to school. With all the homework we have, you probably won’t have time to exercise so it is important that you eat healthy. Seriously though, “freshman fifteen” is supposed to happen in college, not high school. The food at BHS isn’t all that healthy, so unless you plan on eating an apple every day from the cafeteria, bring your own lunch. Oh, and you will probably be driving to school soon. Unless you plan on taking the bus for four years, it’s important that you get a parking space the day after you get your license. The parking lot fills up fast and, if you wait, your space will SUCK. I had to walk more than a mile to get to my first class every day. But, you can’t get a parking space until you actually have your license. Just get one as soon as you can.

So, I think that’s pretty much the basics. If you keep this stuff in mind, you should be okay during your sophomore year in IB. Don’t stress about school too much, though. You will have time to do other stuff. Oh, and if your friends are telling you that you won’t have a life next year, that is sooooo not true. Only the kids who don’t know how to set goals for themselves don’t have lives. Just do your best, and you should be fine.

Katie Campbell

Dear Incoming 10th grade IB Student,

With my prior experience as a 10th grade IB student, I have some insight and wisdom to share with you. I can tell you about the classes you will have as well as what you will need to survive Bartow high school life.

Assuming you have the same class schedule as me, I will inform you as to how to act properly in your classes. However, I am not going to tell you to be a perfect student, instead I will tell you what is expected of you by comparison to everyone else. 1st period, English, Mr. Guice — Hopefully you have Mr. Guice first thing in the morning because this gives you a good time to prepare for his surprise literary terms tests. Though I don’t recommend making a habit of it, Mr. Guice always accepts late work, unless he’s angry, because he would rather you have a good grade in his class rather than a F. 2nd period, Physics, Mr. Webb — As long as you pay attention in class, write down whatever he puts on the board and complete the homework you are almost guaranteed an A in Mr. Webb’s class because 90% of your grade is busywork and the 10% that is tests are open book anyways. 3rd period, Spanish, Mrs. Anderson — Her homework assignments are almost never the same between periods nor are the ones assigned necessarily due when she says; in other words, nothing is ever set in stone in Señora’s class. Also, as long as you try to do all the homework, and don’t fail her tests, an A is not that inconceivable. 4th period, Statistics, Naki — Never, never, never, and I say never miss his class or you will be five steps behind everyone else for the rest of the chapter  because  the book makes no sense, only Naki and the magical notes you take during his class will help you understand anything of statistical significance. 5th period, Precalculus, Ms. Frisbie — While half the class is sleeping you should either A: be listening intently to Ms. Frisbie to learn something Math related, or B: ignore her because you can learn just as easily by reading the chapter and doing pre-calculus homework in class. 6th period, World History, Mr. Mohler and Mr. Wright — Surviving World History: Step 1) pray that Mr. Rhoden comes out of retirement; Step 2) In the event that step 1 most likely fails, this is a good time to find something hard to punch because you’re going to be angry concerning your terrible luck; Step 3) Read the book they give you and hope that Mr. Mohler makes your tests because his are slightly easier that Mr. Wright’s. 7th period, Anatomy, Ms. Allison — No matter what, do not do anything not anatomy-related in her class. Other than that, just take notes verbatim and study those, not the book, for her tests.

The following are general tips of how to go about day to day Bartow high school life. While there are many water fountains scattered throughout the school, I do not recommend drinking from any of them if it can be helped. The water in places has a brown tint to it, in others there is usually a foreign object or two clogging up the water fountains’ drains, and in general they are likely to be contaminated. I recommend taking a water bottle with you every day as a precaution. Germ-X is your friend, say it with me now, Germ-X is your friend. I say that because I have never once found a restroom outside of the classrooms that had soap or paper towels. Always remember to bring your planner with you to school every day because it lets you get passes out of class, if the teacher allows, and gives you a trustworthy place to write down assignments. A fight usually occurs about once a week at Bartow High. Usually during lunch. As it is generally a good idea to avoid these fights, or at least watch from a distance, always be wary of any large gatherings, shouting, or stampeding that might occur during lunch or between classes and try to move away from the disturbance. I find that it is always a good idea to have a flash drive with you because some teachers, like Mrs. Anderson, like to surprise us with a trip to the computer lab, which usually requires us to save something to work on at home. Having your homework assignments, essays, and projects saved on your flash drive will allow you to print them out in the library in the morning in case you left one of them at home on the day it’s due. One last tip for you: never leave your stuff unattended, it will get taken and you will not get it back.

Well all I have left to say is good to you luck next year and hopefully my advice will help you survive 10th grade IB at Bartow High.

Sincerely,

William Adams

 

Incoming sophomore,

By this point you will have realized that procrastination is the vice of nearly every IB student. You should know that you are not the only one starting a project the night before it is due. What to remember is not to stress over how much work you have, but to accept that you are going to finish it (or at least most of it). Stress hangs over your head, but life will be much easier if you do not worry about writing the perfect paper — just write it. You do not have to like it, Mr. Guice does. For Mr. Guice word count does not matter nearly as much as content and a clear understanding of the topic. Enjoy Mr. Guice’s class; it is a relaxing class and although he gives you plenty of work, none of it will be too much or too hard to accomplish.

In World History class pay attention to the DBQs and the other essays, I did not know how important they were in the AP exam until about a week before I had to take it. I would also suggest studying some before the AP exam. I looked at some books after I took the test and found some really useful information in them. So use those practice multiple choice questions; my friends can attest to how much they helped. If you are taking French you might find his class easy, but do some independent studying if you really want to understand the topics Mr. Lenker covers. He can give you good notes, but he does not usually follow up with homework — by the next class I had to relearn what was discussed during the last class.

Do not focus only on schoolwork. I have found that the best way to relieve stress is to participate in a sport. Cross country is especially relaxing. Running for half an hour can be oddly calming and it always refreshed my mind. More competitive sports are a good way to blow off frustration. The rough soccer games were always the best because I could knock into players and get pushed to the ground myself and it was all just a part of the game. Sports will remind you how homework does not have to be all of your life. Sports might become just another way to procrastinate, but at least you are doing something good for yourself while you procrastinate.

Dorothy Kleissler

 

This year, for me, has been full of surprises, disappointments, joys and stresses… I wouldn’t exchange any of it for the world, especially looking back on it as I’m going into my junior year. I’m glad I decided to take two math classes last year, even though it was sometimes extremely stressful and hard.

If anyone reading this is like I was, coming into precalculus as a sophomore, then heed my advice: you’ll do fine. Sometimes, yes, it will be stressful, and it will feel overwhelming, but if you work your hardest, that is all anyone expects of you. Sometimes I felt out of place in this class, like I didn’t belong, as you might. If that’s the case, come off it. You worked hard for that place in the precalculus class, so don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you otherwise.

I very much enjoyed everything during his year, but as far as precalc goes, I have a few words of advice. Number one: When Mrs. Frisbie says don’t piss her off… don’t piss her off. Number two: Errors are not reasons to shout obnoxiously, ’kay? I got countless headaches thanks to those people this year. Number three: This class is awesome. Just let yourself enjoy it and you will. Good luck!!

Spira Baker

 

Dear IB student,

You are about to realize what exactly you have gotten yourself into. The next year of IB is the hardest year of school you have yet attempted (don’t worry it gets even worse). This applies to whatever grade you are in. The next year is always worse. Get over it. There are a few scant pieces of other advice that one may use to get out of the next grade of IB alive.

The first, foremost, and most important piece of advice one can receive about IB in general is this: whatever you do, do not ignore your homework. It is given for a reason. If you fail to do the work assigned, you will fail, period! This especially applies to Naki’s class (if you don’t already know who Naki is, you’ll figure it out). Homework makes up only a small percentage of the grade in Naki’s class, but you will fail the tests if you blow it off.

Only slightly less important than doing your homework is studying. You may have been able to get by without studying in your first year of IB. I can personally guarantee you that that won’t fly in 10th grade. You should study in almost all your classes, but the big three are Precalculus, Spanish, and any class involving Glenn Nakamura. It is not only a good idea; it is in fact essential that these classes are paid close attention to. Once again, if you ignore this advice, you will probably fail.

There are two other pieces of advice I can offer to prospective students of Mrs. Frisbie. Do not ever annoy her! Interrupting her mid-sentence is an easy way to accomplish this. Ergo, do not ever interrupt her mid-sentence. It is a really bad idea.

These are the three greatest pieces of advice I can offer. Use them wisely (in other words, use them).

Ethan Emery

 

Sophomore year is definitely more difficult than freshman year was. Although it did take a lot of effort keep up on schoolwork and studying for tests in freshman year, you really have to stay on top of your assignments sophomore year. If you procrastinate too much, you’ll get behind in your work really fast, and a stack of homework will grow rapidly. By procrastinating, you will be staying up later at night than you would have if you started the work earlier.

Certain classes require more studying than others. In AP World History, you may feel like you don’t need to worry about the AP test in the beginning of the year, but it would be wise to think about it. Instead of cramming for the test a couple weeks before, it would be easier to make sure you read the chapters in class and studied for tests when you need to. That way, you will already know most of the information for the AP test, and studying for it will be a lot easier and less time-consuming. In precalculus, studying for all of the tests, staying awake in class, and making sure you don’t wait until the day before a portfolio assignment is due to start it, will definitely help you in the class.

Always make sure to turn in all homework assignments for every class, especially Spanish. Once you don’t turn in a small 15-point homework assignment, your grade in the class will somehow drop significantly. Culinary is the easiest class to keep an A in, but when you aren’t cooking, you’re doing bookwork, which makes up most of the grades, so make sure it’s turned in! In your Anatomy class, make sure all assignments are turned in on time, because if they aren’t, the highest grade you can receive for them is half credit.

So, all you have to do to keep up good grades and make sure you aren’t stressed out in sophomore year is study for all your tests, don’t procrastinate, and make sure all your assignments are turned in. Good luck!

Megan Dotson

 

If I had to give advice to someone who was a year behind me and was going to take the same courses that I have taken this year I would give them this advice.  I would tell them that they need to do all of this in order to receive a decent grade or at least a grade that is to their satisfaction: Pay attention in class, do all your homework on time, and thoroughly prepare for tests of any kind.

Paying attention in class, no matter what class it is or how much u like or dislike it, is very important.  It is a lot easier for a student to understand a concept when it is taught to them by a teacher who has been teaching the subject and concept to students for years and years.  It becomes much more difficult if a student blows off their attention and pays attention to other things that don’t have to do with the class during that certain class, and then the student has to learn the concept on their own at home, which makes the concept that is trying to be taught in the class much harder than it was intended to be.

Doing all your homework all the time is very important.  Homework helps to cushion your grade when you take a bad hit with a test that you bomb on or an unexpected bad grade that you receive.  Homework doesn’t take that long to do for each class individually and it isn’t worth it not to do it.  If you don’t do all the homework for a class then it will begin to build up and your grade will end up taking a heavy hit because of all the little homework points that have built up.

Thoroughly preparing for all of your tests is very important too.  When you receive a review for pre-calc or you know you have a test in environmental science the next day, you need to make sure that you go over everything in the review that Frisbie has told you that you need to go over or that you look at all the cycles in the environmental science book that Kennon told you would be on the test.  You also need to prepare in advance for the A.P. tests for World History and Environmental Science by buying A.P. review books a couple months ahead of time and going through all the practice tests that it gives you.

So if you’re going to be taking the same courses as me next year then I would advise you to always pay attention in class even if it’s boring like chemistry or physics, and always do your homework for all your classes because it always helps to give you a better boost on your grade in all of the classes, and to prepare for all the tests that the teachers give you, but especially the A.P. exams because those will take a while for you to thoroughly prepare for because it is an review of everything that you have learned over the year and you can’t just go over all of it in one night like you could for some of the other tests that you are going to be taking throughout the year.  The A.P. tests for World History and Environmental Science are probably going to be the most important tests that you take for the year because they will decide whether or not you will receive a college credit for the classes or not.

Stephen Walker

 

IB Precalculus is considered a “beast” and also some worse b-word by many of the upperclassmen and underclassmen, alike, but in my experience, the class is not difficult with a little bit of application. Math, like a sport, takes practice, although no one really takes the initiative to practice it. The best ways to succeed in the class are not to anger Ms. Frisbie, and to study when necessary, not just when you want to.

You probably excel at school, since you are taking this class in the 10^th grade, but don’t rest on being smart in this class, because it takes a little bit more. To succeed in class there are only a few things that can help you out. Interactions are important because the time goes by really quickly if you spend time talking to people and it also helps you keep thinking for a while. Ms. Frisbie loves to talk, and she knows a lot, so feel free to get on small tangents, but don’t drag them on forever.

Remember to ask questions! The teacher’s job (probably) includes answering students’ questions, and it’s really the only way to understand anything. Also, you should probably keep a notebook, because not every paper you get can be replaced (i.e. the formula forms). People help each other (especially during team retakes) and it’s nice to help out others, especially when there are lessons that you may need help from, also. Use those retakes to your advantage, also. Among all these, the best thing you can do is relax and have a little bit of fun. Any class can be easy when you think of it the right way.

Stephon Mikell