The first group of these was written by juniors, to advise new juniors, and the second group by sophomores, to advise new sophomores. They are otherwise in no particular order.

Dear incoming Precalculus IB student,

Congratulations on completing your first (sophomores) or second (juniors) year of IB!

Welcome to the Precalculus course.

For my advice, I encourage you to attend class every day, so you do not miss out on any important information and find yourself in the position of teaching yourself criteria. Pertaining to attending class as much as possible, I also encourage you to always complete your assignments on time. There is nothing worse than having to make up late work. When you have a lot of late work that needs to be completed, in the moment everything will become overwhelming for you. It is a situation you should try to avoid. Also, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Procrastinating will make you stress out. When assignments are assigned, I highly encourage you to complete them far before the day before the assignment is due, and not late at night or the morning that they are due.

This class will teach you so much. Make sure you advocate for yourself, do not be afraid to ask any questions. If you are lost, ask for help. Also make friends in your class. Having a friend in the class will allow you to ask them questions as well and check your homework. Also make time to study. Even on the days that you do not have a test coming up, review material and learn new things. Do not underestimate yourself. Be confident that you will do well.

Work as hard as you can it will pay off in the future. I encourage you to try your hardest and not let IB get the best of you. You are more than just a GPA, a grade average, or SAT/ACT scores. Do not let these things define your academic ability and who you are as a person. I know you will do great. Best of luck!

Victoria Odikpa

As a junior taking Pre-Calculus, my advice will be most helpful to those individuals going into the Diploma Program rather than those becoming sophomores. The best piece of advice I can give to those entering junior year is to go out and purchase a calendar. The planner you are given by the school is alright, but insufficient to keep track of the many long-term projects and deadlines that you are assigned. Having a calendar that can be mounted on the wall will allow you to better plan out your time and when you will work on various portions of the projects.

A second piece of advice I would give to any prospective IB juniors is know their limits. Most of the people in the same grade as me undertook many extracurriculars, getting a job, or spending their time doing a variety of different activities alongside the volume of schoolwork. I would advise that while all of these pursuits can be worth doing and can benefit you, it is best to stick to one or two rather than overextend yourself trying to participate in three clubs, a sport, and a job on top of one of the most academically rigorous parts of the program. If you still wish to do so be my guest, but consider knowing your limits and giving yourself a bit of breathing room.

This paragraph is probably around the time you are skimming however, this paragraph is the one that I think is the most important in terms of advice and pragmatic information. I would STRONGLY recommend that you begin work on things early. This would be most important when it comes to studying for college admissions tests such as the SAT and ACT, as well as not allowing work to pile up. Don’t do essays the night before, don’t decide to do your mini EE and another project in the same night. Space out your work, and I promise starting earlier will make you so much less stressed.

The very last piece of advice I have is that you should begin thinking more long term, both about your school assignments, but also about your future after high school and even college. This isn’t me implying you should have a very detailed and descripted plan for your future, but it IS me saying that you should begin thinking about where you want to go to college, and what you want to do as a career. Some individuals that I know still are not sure of what they want to become, and that is alright, however you should begin to give it some thought.

Jimi Hocking

When it comes to pre-calculus, being on top of your work and paying attention are the keys to doing well for the most part. As long as you pay attention in class and understand the material then you’re pretty much set to do well on tests. Don’t procrastinate, obviously, since it’s best to start applying what you just learned immediately so you’re better able to remember how it works down the line. You’re also less likely to forget if you do it as soon as possible meaning that you can submit your late passes for extra credit.

Don’t be like me. My performance this year is not at all what I’d advise anyone to do. I was very unmotivated from the beginning of the year leading up to the end and having the mindset of “I don’t want to be here” just makes things so much harder. Do all that you can to keep motivated. Try thinking about things you look forward to and goals you’d like to complete. “Keep your eye on the prize” is probably the best phrase to describe the ideal mindset that will help you get through this. Don’t do what I did in which I would constantly think “I’ve got the time to do this, BUT… I don’t particularly want to.” I haven’t exactly put myself in terrible position academically this year, but I still wouldn’t advise that anyone let themselves drop their drive this much at all.

All-in-all, to those taking pre-calc next year, do your best. If you’re taking this route, then you likely enjoy doing mathematics or don’t find it as difficult as some others, so you’ll likely do just fine. In essence, it really is just another year of some, arguably, easier or harder math. Quickly addressing IB life as a whole, do as you’ve done the previous year or two. Stay on top of your work, manage your time wisely, and make sure to make time for yourself when you need it. I’ve found doing my hobbies a lot more fun as of late since they pull me away from all the work I have. To the roughly 2 or 3 of you reading this, good luck with your current year at IB and Bartow High School as a whole.

P.S. Hopefully they’ve stopped playing “The Final Countdown” every class period by the time this is being read.

Miguel Sueldo

In my three years of attending the IB program at Bartow High School I have experienced an array of emotions, events, and behaviors, both positive and negative. Attending IB has been both a challenge and fulfilling process I have yet to complete, but I do know a few things that may help a fellow classmate or newcomer.

With IB comes an overwhelming load of work for each class, sometimes there will be a week where there are few assignments and others where there are a multitude all due the same day. My best advice with dealing with a busy workload is to schedule every assignment out, spreading them across the week; this habit has helped me so much with my anxiety on getting my work done without the feeling of being overwhelmed by even the simplest assignments. Having assignments scheduled for a specific day allows for you to put focus on what is really important at that moment rather than what will be important at a later date. Having a schedule will be my most frequent advice to any high schooler regardless of whether they attend IB because I think it helps everyone even if they don’t have a demanding workload. Another piece of advice that I offer is to be nice to your teachers even if they can be infuriating, they are there to help and they do care to help you if it is needed. The teachers IB and the administration in all do put in so much effort to help the students within the program, being kind to them just makes their jobs just a bit easier even if they don’t always do something you might not agree with. IB has its challenges but it also does have some great things to offer within the program.

IB is a very unique and demanding program but with those struggles it does offer a great deal of advantages. One of my favorite classes within the program is TOK, Theory of Knowledge, this class gives a student the opportunity to express their opinion and debate on whether a certain area of knowledge is feasible; but with this class I do give the advice to not upset the teacher Mr. Guice, although he is a very chill teacher he can get easily frustrated and that can make the whole period go by very painfully. TOK is an amazing class that all IB students are required to take, although it seems like a not so exciting class, it really is something special that IB offers. Another class that although seems like it would be quite boring is Biology or Chemistry, now don’t get intimidated by the topics the classes themselves are quite entertaining especially with the teachers that teach the classes. With Biology and Chemistry, they offer a student to explore interesting topics and ideas, but they do require a large amount of work, there is a balance though because as a student you will be able to experience an array of interesting and exciting labs and either class depending on which course you decide to take. With selecting which course, I do advise that you don’t go with which one has the smaller amount of work but which one you think you would excel in, same goes for which math class you decide to take sophomore year.

IB is what they describe as a once in a lifetime opportunity, the course although can be hard and tedious it does offer great advantageous throughout your school life. Through your years within the program, you will learn several things through trial and error and simply experience. As intimidating as it can be, IB is something you just have to go in being head strong and open to many new things.

Sammy Valich

My junior year at IB was interesting to say the least with it being completely online. I think it will be much easier to handle the higher workload next year since most of you will be in school and learn more effectively. I would approach starting your junior year with the right mindset being that you’re going to be organized and keep up with your work like you have always done and continue to adapt to any situation you are presented with. With a flexible mindset, hard obstacles you encounter will start to look more like a puzzle that you can work your way out of when you take it in chunks. Now, you are entering IB moving on from pre-IB, so this year will consist of you working on your classes like normal and then starting on your EE, IO, and IAs later in the year. These big projects can be overwhelming, but if managed correctly, will go by smoothly. I would like to give two main pieces of advice that would really help you during your junior year if you decide to adopt them into your life.

Plan. Plan. Plan. I am going to say it again, plan. If you try to keep all the assignments, projects, volunteer dates, community service hours, sports practice, band practice, and anything else you can think of in your head, you will become a mess. Our brains our made for thinking at the end of the day, not storing massive amounts of upcoming dates in them. So I recommend a simple free calendar like google calendar where you can put all of the important events you have in it. A big advantage of using google calendar is that you can access it from any device at any place so you do not have to carry a physical planner around. If you declutter your monkey brain full of all these random dates, you will start to feel more relaxed and stress free (most of the time). Also, when you plan out certain events in a calendar, you create the intention that you will complete the activity you plotted out in your day. When you create intention to do something in a tangible way, it is easier to get started and finish faster than relying on our very unreliable procrastinating brain that will find an excuse to make you not want to finish your work.

Another thing, have fun. You only get one high school experience and one life. Do not waste it stressing out and ruining your passion for lifelong learning by spending every living second trying to study. It’s good to find a balance. I’m not saying to forget your work and do badly in school, I just want to point out that you can study, complete your assignments, do well on tests, and learn while making time out for yourself, your friends, and your family. Your life is not going to be stress free all the time though for sure. There will be periods where you will work extremely hard and almost burn out, but that’s when you catch yourself slipping and give yourself a reward after a period of working really hard. Burning out is what you want to avoid at all costs though. Burning out is when you have been so overloaded with work that you just don’t want to do anything. This typically does not happen though when you are provided with a healthy amount of stress. Yes, I said healthy amounts of stress. There are two types of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is positive stress like a workout where you feel good after feeling that stress and there is distress, which would be something like you having to work for 24 hours straight with no sleep that degrades you. So try to incorporate activities into your life that will provide you with positive challenges that will allow you to level up and become a stronger person and this will lead to a more enjoyable junior year.

Good Luck Amigos

Ohm Patel

Incoming Juniors,

Congratulations for making it into the IB Program officially. This was no small feat and you deserve to have a celebration for continuing the program despite the many challenges you’ve faced. This year, much like freshmen year, will be increasingly difficult as you learn how to handle the workload and expectations of the teachers. While I will be providing tips and tricks on how to limit the stress from IB, I want to make sure you understand that you will do amazing, just continue to persevere; all of the best things in life take hard work. Enough motivational quotes though, let’s talk about advice.

When it comes to Junior year, I have three pieces of advice: sleep, talk, and enjoy junior year. Although adequate sleep in IB is quite taboo, sleep is very important. While I say that it’s increasingly important to sleep as you progress in the program, I understand that getting 8-9 hours of sleep per night is rarely achievable. If anything, I recommend that everyone aims for at least 6 hours per night. Sleep allows the body another way to relax before stressing it out all over again. When I say talk, I mean both to your friends and to your teachers. Find friends you feel comfortable around so that you can talk about your worries and successes when it comes to assignments. The best learners don’t just listen to their teacher, they ask questions. Build a relationship with your teachers so that you’re more comfortable asking questions. Although this can be a difficult feat, it’s worth it. Feeling comfortable enough to ask you teacher questions can be the difference between scoring an 85 and scoring a 100. Having a good support system helps to keep you level-headed throughout the journey of IB. Although it will feel as though you have no time for friends or fun, I highly suggest putting time aside to hang with friends and destress. Because of Covid, this was something that I couldn’t do, and it greatly affected my mental health. Despite their being programs like Zoom, nothing compares to speaking with your friends in person. Having fun allows you to look back on Junior year more fondly because you were having fun despite having your unfinish IA due the following morning.

Because there’s only so much I can write on the perils of IB, if you have any further questions, feel free to find and contact me. I’d love to provide more tips on how to survive Junior year and I’m almost always free due to procrastination culture. Congrats again and good luck!

Makayla Hays

This school year was so hectic, and we can all thank Covid. I want to congratulate you for making it into the IB Diploma Program. This year, some of my classes were a real struggle, but I made it through just fine. I will say that the biggest thing that was able to help me get through junior year was studying and not overcomplicating things for myself.

This is the year when your IB exams and IA’s will begin. For Internal Assessments I found that it is much better, and easier, to pick a topic that is not overcomplicated and that you enjoy. I am currently enrolled in Biology, meaning that I needed to start my IA experiment at the end of this year. I chose an easy experiment, lowering the risk of mistakes and errors. You do not need to choose something overcomplicated to get a good score, just chose something you enjoy, and you know how to do. The same goes with IB exams and AP tests. In short response questions, do not try and write more just to seem smarter, get straight to the point in order to save time for harder questions, and to ensure you get all the marks you need.

Moving on, this year is when studying and procrastinating become a big thing. Units cover so many things at once, that it is necessary to study all the time, or else you will forget what is going on, and I speak from experience. It does seem like it is a lot and like it will never end, but the end result pays off. Don’t fear IB exams, as of right now, they seem a lot simpler than what you think it will be. But do not think you will not need to study for them. While the content of the courses may not seem like it is incredibly difficult, remember that most exams include a lot of application. It is important that you know how to take the information that you have learned and be able to apply it to different situations or different methods.

Luisa Cordova

Hi future junior,

The first thing I have to offer is that the beginning of junior year is going to be hard. It’s like starting again with your freshman year, but this time with the knowledge you have collected from the past two years. Don’t falter with this knowledge and experience. What happens most of the time with most people is that they start to falter and can’t get themselves back up. You’re halfway at the finish line. Don’t get left behind now.

Another thing I have learned from this year is that our teachers are much more lenient with their due dates than in freshman and sophomore year. Don’t take advantage of it. Having lenient due dates can be more of a bad thing than a good thing. Try to stay on top of your assignments to the best of your ability and plan accordingly to what is due and what can be turned in at later dates.

Finally, junior year is going to have a lot of test dates. Especially as you are taking your sixth subject this year. Again, plan accordingly. If you are in world religions, I can tell you that it is the easiest test you can take as long as you took precise notes throughout the year. Don’t blow the test. If you score well on this test, then it might help you with another SL course you might think you don’t do as well on.

Have a great junior year.

See you on the flip side.

Navpreet Kaur

Dear incoming students, I’m about to try my best to throw some knowledge and advice your way but I can’t guarantee anything. I did pretty well this year and I’ll basically be telling you everything I did to keep things that way, so maybe I’m a credible source? Although there are some things I can’t exactly include because this is a more professional paper, but yeah you get the point. You don’t have to follow all of the advice because this essay is, by nature, personal and only what worked for me.

To start, this year was a hassle. That kind of thing is pretty much unavoidable though with Junior year at IB. So, my first piece of advice is to not let yourself get behind on an excessive amount of work. It will be extremely tempting to just say “I’ll do it later,” especially when two of your teachers (who will remain unnamed) accept work as late as the day before grades are due. That being said, don’t kill yourself over staying ahead of school work. If it is 1 am and you are tired and on the verge of tears looking at your three remaining homework assignments, just go to sleep. Teachers are people too and they understand it. As long as you keep a good record of turning in homework on time, there is a good chance that they will be reasonable with you and give you an extension. Also, remember your health and mental health. Every once in a while, take the opportunity to go out with friends. Join at least one or two clubs or sports, doesn’t have to be at once but something to keep you active because, at least personally it makes it easier to sleep. Speaking of sleep, there are people who will sleep after school until 6 then stay up until 3 then wake up at five. There are people who make it work, but I wasn’t one of them. I’d advise against that too, from what I heard it breaks your circadian rhythm. Last but not least, if you want to take a class because you’re interested in it but are worried about the course being too hard, just do it. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

That is pretty much the best guidelines I can offer. Like I said, I can’t share every detail and what I said was really just what ended up working for me. You are not in any way obligated or required to follow these suggestions; you should make your own decisions. But when you do, if you feel lost, you can always use this short paper as a guideline. Also, feel free to consult either your teachers or Mrs. Marsh, they will both help you readily. Oh, and one more thing, good luck, you’ll need it.

Robert Beltran

In my three years of experience in IB, I would advise any arising freshman or incoming freshman to begin to have a set way of studying and doing your homework. Because without this set method of studying, you’re not going to be as efficient as you could be. Every person has their own way of studying in a manner that allows them to grasp the information they need for tests and/or quizzes. Also, although you will, please try to not procrastinate, it is such a horrible thing when one assignment has to be done with 13 other assignments because you procrastinated on it, I would heavily advise not to do this. Furthermore, pay attention to your mental health and sleep schedule because these impact your days at IB so much that you begin to feel lethargic in a manner that makes you not want to do work, which can be a major problem.

In terms of specific classes, I would advise you to always read the books in your English class because the teachers will try to make you critically analyze every bit of those books and if you didn’t read the book, you’re not going to perform well on quizzes and essays. For science classes, in Bio, study the information heavily and know how to apply it. For chemistry, study different problems and apply the math and concepts to those problems. For your foreign languages, practice reading, writing, and speaking those languages, which can be anything from watching Netflix shows in those languages or speaking to a native speaker of those languages. For your math classes, focus on the main topics and practice specific math problems to ensure you know what to do. For history classes, know how to write good essays and understand important historical events and concepts in order to be successful in those classes.

My final advice would be to make friends not only with your classmates, but also with your teachers. These people are going to be so important in the years to come when you start applying for colleges and/or scholarships. Also, try to be active in clubs, leadership positions, etc. These are good for your resumes and your mental health because you are doing something that is not IB, which is good. Also, don’t be a rude person, these people are hated so much and you don’t want to be that person that no one works with because that could possibly hurt you in the long run when you have to do IB stuff with other classmates. Finally, try to maintain a balance between school and real life. These are so vitally important to you surviving this program because you don’t want to overwhelm yourself and not have some time for yourself.

Kevin Rodriguez

YAY! You finally completed two years of IB, only two more to go. You can do it, just hang on and even though it does not become any less easy, you’ll learn how to manage. Always keep your focus on work and when the work gets a little too much, just take a break (it won’t hurt you). NEVER let stress get to you, and when there is too much pressure on you, go confide in someone. One big advice I think all IB students should have, is to pace their work, don’t leave everything for last minute, because trust me when I say that leaving things for last minute will not do you any good. I know right now in Junior you feel like things are going a little too fast for your liking, and it’s a little harder than the two years you just completed, but you will eventually get used to it. I would recommend using junior year to finish all CAS projects (at least most of them) so in senior year you can study for your IB exams and graduating.

Now let’s talk about Pre-calc. It probably sounds hard, but it’s really not. Whether you think you’re good at math or not, if you just focus in class and ask questions when confused you will pass the tests. Honestly, all you really have to do for the class is just focus, because the topics are similar to what you already went over in Algebra 2 with Naki, unless there’s another pandemic that cuts your year short. Pre-calc to me did not seem too hard, it was easy to grasp the subjects, however if you are not so good at math, I would recommend asking your peers (who understand and can explain the topic to you). Create a study group and give it an hour of your time for the extra help. Please NEVER feel embarrassed to ask for help, because chances are someone is also struggling with the same thing you are. Ms. Frisbie will always be there to help you, so ask her or any other math teacher in IB to help you because I assure you, they will.

But over all just enjoy this year as much as you can because senior year is going to require a lot of your focus to be on tests and IB requirements. Make sure you complete your IAs for bio or chem before the end of the school year because it allows you more time to focus on completing the rough draft for the paper, and other IAs. Always remember to turn in your work on time, have it complete before and don’t stay up all night to study and do work you could’ve done during the day. There is no work that’s going to take up so much of your time that you have to stay up late. Pace your time because that will truly help you finish and overcome the obstacles your facing, aaannnddd it takes away some stress. But anyways, have fun and enjoy your second to last year of high school before it gets a little too hectic. I wish you all the best of Junior year.

Sawida Nisa

Dear incoming sophomore,

Congratulations on making it through freshman year! At this point, you have likely gotten a feel for the program, started to settle into the environment, and gotten to know your classmates. All of these things are, in my opinion, very important goals to achieve as a freshman, and they make your sophomore year a lot better. Sophomore year is considered by most IB students to be the easiest year in the program, and I, having just finished it, agree. Regardless of whether or not you have acclimated to the program yet, there are some things I feel are important to know to succeed in sophomore year.

I know that you have probably heard this dozens of times before, but try not to put off work. Procrastinating on all assignments is generally not a good habit to get into, but I would like to warn you of procrastinating on lengthy assignments in particular. In freshman year, many of the assignments you were given took an hour at most to complete, as these allowed the IB teachers to get you used to adjusting to the numerous due dates that come with the program. In sophomore year, however, teachers like Mr. Guice, Ms. Frisbie, and Mrs. Sommer will assign you more lengthy assignments like essays, annotations, and review packets that have extended due dates, but take a longer time to complete. Procrastinating on these long assignments leaves you with more work to do in less time. I had to learn this lesson the hard way many times before I started to do long assignments early, but I don’t think that I need to remind you of what happens when you have to rush through work. Just don’t put off long assignments. Your grades and sleep schedule will thank you for it.

Another thing I would like to emphasize to you is the need for developing good relationships with your classmates. My grade had to have a meeting at one point in the year to address toxicity and drama, both of which are horrible to have to deal with in the IB program; please don’t be like us. I cannot emphasize enough the need for people in the IB program to get along with each other. Not only will you rely on them for academic assistance and support, but they will also be important in maintaining a social life inside and outside of school. Without this mental, social, emotional, and academic support, surviving the IB program will be impossible. I feel like I am understating how important it is to get along with your classmates, so I highly recommend typing “Bartow High School Graduation 2021” into YouTube and watching the IB valedictorian speech from Jake Nakamura (it starts at 27:06 and lasts for only 5 minutes). It’s worth the watch, and it really puts into perspective the importance of balancing your social and academic lives and appreciating your high school experience.

An important, but nuanced, lesson that I have learned in the last two years is that there is no reason to stress over any one thing you encounter in the program. I feel that it is important to realize that no one assignment, test, or even AP exam can significantly change the course of your life unless you dwell on them, so there is no reason to stress or lose sleep over them. Seriously. If you fail an assignment or a test, you will definitely have more opportunities to make up for it. If you fail something as big as an AP exam, it is useless to dwell on it; learn from your mistakes and fix them when you take exams the following year. If you worry over these things, you will stress yourself out, undermine your self-confidence, and ultimately, hurt your performance. I am certainly not saying that you should not try on anything. In fact, I am saying quite the opposite. Try your best and put in the extra effort to understand the difficult concepts or to bring up a bad grade; however, once grades are in and exam scores are finalized, there is absolutely no reason to beat yourself up over any mistakes you made. I spent too much of freshman year pushing back my sleep schedule so I could make an assignment slightly better or memorize more information for a test. If there is one thing I would like you to get out of my letter, it is this: the IB program is inherently stressful. There is no need to add to the stress by pressuring yourself to work for perfection; you will have some assignments on which you will not do as well as you’d like, and that’s completely alright, as long as you try your best and learn to balance your social, academic, and extracurricular lives. I feel that Jake put it best in his speech when he said, “the countless nights of work… really just became brief and vague in memory. When I think of high school, I instead look back fondly on the ludicrous things we did”.

Some last recommendations and words of advice: if you are interested in math, science, or research, take AP Stats with Naki. Naki, like many of the IB teachers, is one of those rare teachers who is both fun and really good at teaching, and the material he covers will help you tremendously in your sophomore math classes and your AP/IB science classes in junior and senior year. If you are looking for relatively easy college credit, I recommend AP Psychology with Ms. Romaine, as most of the content involves the memorization and basic application of vocabulary, and it is consistently ranked as one of the easiest AP classes. Work ahead on assignments for Mr. Guice and pay attention to his grammar lessons, as they are incredibly useful when you are writing. With all AP classes you take, be sure to start reviewing as early as possible. Trust me when I say that trying to review everything the weekend before is not a good strategy. Finally, in chemistry, review the practice problems Mrs. Loweke gives you, as doing so is a great way to prepare for her tests.

In short, be sure to do your absolute best in the IB program, but please do not forget to have fun along the way. This is high school, after all.

Best wishes,

Jimmy Barrios

Dear Incoming Sophomore,

This year will be a whole separate battle from freshmen year. Freshman year consisted of finding friends, adjusting to a new school, adapting to the workload, and balancing your new schedule. This upcoming year will consist of keeping that balanced schedule (or at least making sure whatever schedule you have doesn’t hurt you), keeping up with the workload, prioritizing assignments and events, and ensuring you make enough time to study and know the material as best as you can because your grades will be greatly impacted by the amount of effort put into studying and each assignment.

One of the greatest challenges of this year was picking out my Junior year schedule. The scheduling brought in a whirlwind of information, classes, and decisions in a very short amount of time. I recommend asking a lot of questions towards the beginning of the year. This will ensure you make the best choices possible for the upcoming years, instead of all the information being rushed at you in a single afternoon. Things like IAs, sixth subjects, and TOK will pop up and some major decisions that affect your life at IB will be made. Going on the topic of IAs, I haven’t completed an IA at the moment, but the first thing to do at the mention of planning an IA is to not panic; the teachers are there to help you with any questions as long as you are willing to ask.

Lastly, I recommend you don’t get engaged in any drama such as bullying. It takes up too much time and it’s not worth the penalty. Do your work and have fun while doing it. Have a positive outlook because IB is not worth it if you make the entire thing miserable. Every assignment, test, and class should be looked at with excitement for what the year will bring. Some classes are more challenging than others, but each class will become a whole lot easier if you have a positive outlook, take advantage of the learning opportunities, and get excited to be going to school in an environment such as IB.

Cheerfully,

Megan Flynn

In all honesty, IB consists of having a strong willpower and strong determination. It is far different from a regular high school. Depending on the classes you decide to take, your schedule will range from a lax one to one that might require more work. Majority of the classes give reasonable amounts of homework, consisting of around 1-3 hours; 3 sometimes on a busy day. It is manageable and you DO have time for your hobbies/passions. This 20-21 school year has been a weird one, coming from an e-schooler who did the entire year online but by next year, classes should resume back to normal. My number one advice for you is to get your work done early and save time for your passions and social life. No one wants to reminisce back to their high school years as just doing schoolwork.

My sophomore schedule consisted of Chem, English, AP World, Pre-calc, AP Stats, AP Psych, and Spanish. For each of your classes, it is VERY important that you keep up with each of your assignments and ask your teachers for help, whenever needed. All your teachers are willing to help you do the best that you can in their classes. If teachers are willing to go over previous exams or hold some time after school to help you, then go to those. The teachers are very approachable; do not be afraid to ask questions. The number one priority is to make sure you study. If you don’t study, you won’t get the grades you expected. Take good notes. Put aside some time to work and make sure that you are understanding each topic. Yes, I don’t recommend procrastinating but if you decide to, just know that you’re going to be up far longer than the others.

Find extracurriculars to participate in outside of school. This is your opportunity to have fun and meet new people. You have four years to explore your passions so make the best use of it. I recommend joining HOSA, Key Club, Interact, etc. For those of you who like to play sports but are afraid that you won’t have time for it, you can! Make sure to take care of yourselves and eat well. If you learn to prioritize, you will do just fine in the program. Also, get time knowing your classmates. IB has smaller class sizes so it is very important that you know who you’re working with. If you’re someone who gets tired when you come home like me, then you do have time for naps (don’t sleep for too long, though). I wish you the best!

Serena Thomas

Hello incoming sophomores! Now that you are starting another year at this school, you naturally may be worried or anxious about what the next year will be like. The last year has probably been tough for you since you’ve only just started, but circumstances do change over time. This next year will be a new opportunity to apply organizational skills and tricks to the new school year that you will have learned from your peers. A main concern of many kids in the IB program is time and academic management. Most of the problems students experience stem from issues centered around these two abilities, so I will be addressing things you can do to improve yourself in this regard.

Some mistakes students make when managing their own time mostly deal with how much time is spent on each class. Obviously, most of your time should be spent with the more rigorous courses such as AP classes or other higher-level classes, but projects in other classes should not necessarily be put off to the last minute. There should be somewhat of a balance between the coursework in your schedule. If you spend too much time obsessing over one subject’s work, you will feel more worn-out by the time you reach the other homework. Our science, Chemistry, has been a large obstacle for many people, which caused them to focus mostly on Chemistry and lose focus in other classes. The lack of balance led to an out-of-control spiral of not having enough time for Chemistry and not having enough time to catch up in other classes. Once people were behind in one class the other classes usually followed suit and became major hindrances to the class they wanted to focus on.

To hone management abilities, you can try to find a method that works for you when it comes to spending enough time keeping up with every class. In classes that you excel in, you can do the work first and not procrastinate so that you have more time to struggle with other classes. If you start with the classes that you struggle with, you will become frustrated very easily and very quickly. It’s much more practical to leave yourself more time for the subjects that are harder for you by doing other assignments as quickly as possible. When you make sure that all your other classes are in check, it is much easier to nurse the difficult classes. If you are taking many courses that are difficult for you, pace yourself with how long you spend on these assignments. Personally, I keep a (very) loose schedule of when to do the work for each class. This way, I don’t feel overwhelmed with the homework, and I can relax more. While this is only one way to improve your management skills, there are always different options for different people, and you may find better options from other students.

Patricia Nuñez

Welcome to the IB program. I’m not quite sure how to describe it, and I often have mixed feelings about it; however, one thing that I’ve determined is the golden rule for being here is that you reap what you sow. Simply put, how much you gain from being here is completely dependent on how much work you’re willing to put in. I was quite intimidated when I first came here as a freshie; having attended a private school for eight years before that, being here was quite the culture shock. I want to start by giving you perhaps the most cliché advice I could (I know, I know, you’ve probably been hearing it since middle school, and almost everyone here tells you this): no matter what, try your hardest to finish your work early instead of saving it until the day before. It certainly is easier said than done, and I still haven’t yet figured out how to pace myself, but it’s a skill you’ll gradually develop for one reason and one reason alone: necessity. Still, you should take this with a grain of salt. If you find that you tend to do best under pressure, or believe that you would benefit more from spending your time doing something else, then by all means do your work whenever you want (believe me, I understand).

Speaking of benefiting from doing something else, that brings me to my next piece of advice, and that is to always keep yourself busy. Again, if your goal is just to graduate high school, you can certainly take a more laid back approach. Like I said: you reap what you sow. Freshman year, you should strive to try new things. I mean absolutely anything. You may not believe it now, because every one of us had tunnel vision and a victim mindset as a freshie, but freshman year is actually rather easy after the first few months. I highly encourage you to check out all the clubs they offer here; A-Team and Key Club are among my favourites. Seek out extracurriculars like band, sports, and other competitions. When you can’t find anything else, teach yourself something new (I taught myself some pretty advanced math early in my sophomore year, and now when we’re encountering it later, it’s trivial and I can focus on learning even harder stuff).

Lastly, you should strive for some balance. As a guy whose entire life revolves around academics, I tend to forget that there is much, much more to high school than having the highest GPA or getting that A. One of the most valuable lessons I’m learning — I say learning because I’m still figuring things out (can we truly say we’ve completely learned something?) — is to take myself less seriously. If you’re rather goofy and unprioritized, you may want to learn to focus and apply yourself more, and recognize the importance of this time that you have in school. If you’re high-strung like me, learn to slow things down (like wayyy downnn). Remember that your grades or college do not decide your future, but your attitude does. You will find yourself constantly growing during your time here; it simply wouldn’t be high school if you weren’t. Some lessons will be quite literal (the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell), and some will be much more profound. You may forget how to do stoichiometry, but you won’t forget the things you take away from here: things like learning to put yourself first, things like choosing your friends wisely, things like finding balance. Already in my time in this program, I’ve learned more in the past two years than I’ve learned in the whole span of my life before then. Some of the people that I’ve met haven’t been very great, but that’s the case wherever you go. You won’t remember them as much as you’ll remember the good ones. Respect the teachers here, because they’re some of the smartest people I’ve known and they will take you far. Maintaining a good social life will be key in your time here; I promise you that you will not make it through here without relying on your peers. Above all else, prioritize your personal growth, balance, happiness, and well-being, and put your absolute best effort in everything you do here (only you’ll know how much effort that is). Hold yourself accountable, and have some fun, and if you can manage good grades in the process, so be it! Remember to never stop learning. I hope you reap the benefits of this program, and I wish you luck (in all honesty, you’ll need it)!

Neil Dave

IB is one of the toughest programs to go through. Transitioning from being in middle school to high school is already tough, but now being in IB there is a high standard for each individual coming in. Walking into freshman year was out of my comfort zone because in middle school the work was easy and no one really was expected to exceed unlike IB does. Each year will provide its own set of difficulties but none of these difficulties are going to be something that a person can’t overcome. One of the worst mistakes to make joining IB would be to expect it to be easy and the same as middle school; However, this program isn’t made to make someone stress and be overwhelmed, there is just more organization of school that is needed.

At first it’s strange to have summer work, and for myself I spread the work out throughout the summer to get this done. Even though the work got done in the end, more stress would build up as I waited to do the work. Procrastination in IB will make you stressed. There is block scheduling at Bartow High School meaning that work will be assigned on one day and be due the next class which is in two days. It’s very easy to say that since you have an extra day you can do the work tomorrow, but that also comes with taking in consideration that you will get work the next day. The best thing to do is to have the mentality of doing things the day that they are assigned, this will help relieve stress and be ahead in school. The teachers at the school are very helpful, they want you to succeed so they do anything they can. Late work is something that most of them do not accept. There are some teachers who have late passes or accept things late but its more work for you and for the teachers when assignments are not done on time. Stress will come with IB just naturally just like normal high school; just because this is a little more work doesn’t mean it is stressful, many times I will have stayed up late doing work that I procrastinated for the last minute thinking I had time when in reality I didn’t. That makes a person very stressed and tired, but again these things are very avoidable and IB will be easier than some people put it out to be.

Another part of IB that most people worry about is social life. I hear people assuming that because they are in IB, social life will be gone. Well, that’s not necessarily the case, there just are priorities. Many of my friends in IB have jobs and I have plenty of time to hang out with friends and do sports as long as homework and assignments are done. There will be times where you won’t be able to go somewhere because there is work you have to do but this goes along with non-procrastination. As long as work is done, high school in IB will feel just like it would in regular Bartow. Studying is a habit that is very crucial for the success in IB, mostly in classes that are unnatural to you. For me these classes are Spanish, calculus and AP bio. The farther along in the program the more the classes that are most important to study change. For me in freshman year APES, English and History were my main study classes that I needed extra study for. In sophomore year it was the same except instead of APES I took statistics. Every class is necessary to study for on a daily basis; However, there will be classes that need a bit more to make sure you get an A on any test. IB is not going to be as tough as long as you don’t procrastinate and know that you have the work ethic. I’m not saying it will be an easy program, but it doesn’t need to be as hard as you first assume it will be.

Gaige Finley

Dear Friend,

Sophomore year can often be stressful, so I’m going to give you some advice. You should continue to do what you did last year, such as stopping yourself from procrastinating and keeping organized, but there are some other things to keep in mind.

Continue to do the methods that helped you last year. You will want to keep organized and limit how much free time you’ll allow yourself before you start homework. Creating your own due dates for assignments before they are due definitely helps to manage time. Keep giving it your all, always trying your best! You don’t want to compare yourself to others, you’ll likely just make yourself feel horrible.

Something that I didn’t do but could’ve and some other people did is take as many AP classes as they could. I limited myself to two because I didn’t know how bad they would be, but some people took three. If you think you can handle three AP classes, you should take them. Give yourself timed breaks. If you are stressed while working on an assignment, take a 5 – 15 minute breather.

I hope this advice helps you!

Sincerely,

Joshua Wilkins

Dear incoming sophomores/juniors,

This past year has been a struggle, with covid-19, with online learning, and trying to achieve our best potential. However there are many positives that complement the negatives. You are about to enter a rigorous course, filled with many challenges that I’m sure you will overcome. However, I’d like to share some advice that I wish was told to me before entering IB in general.  Classes in the IB program, in this case Pre-Calculus, are difficult. Some things that helped me throughout this course was studying. No matter how easy I thought the topic was, I studied. Although studying seems very tedious, it’s the most useful thing ever. I recommend keeping a studying schedule or studying with friends so it’s less “boring”.  Altogether, studying is very useful and really helps with classes such as this.

IB is a hard course, and you’ve made it through a year, or two, and that’s impressive. It only gets harder from here so I suggest starting to plan things that you want to get done while you’re at it. Most students now compare themselves based on a grade or their GPA, however I believe that as long as you learned something, it was all worth it. As one who went through this course, I suggest working diligently to achieve your best potential. Get 8 hours of sleep, eat breakfast in the morning, and do your homework the day it’s assigned. I cannot stress enough on the homework part. It’ll make your life way easier because things just pile up and sooner or later it’ll all be too much.

The workload for a normal sophomore student isn’t as much as I expected, although sometimes it’s unusually large, most times it’s not as much. Some teachers tend to not have a due date but if I were you, I’d still complete the assignment the day it was assigned, or at least due. If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this spiel is that you do work when it’s assigned, no matter how hard or how boring it might be, it’ll save you. Also to go to bed early, it helps if you’re well rested when attending school. Lastly, study… a lot, it’ll come handy in IB/AP classes especially this one.

Sincerely, an IB junior who cares for your well-being

Ashley Thomas

Dear readers of the “wise word page”, I am writing to you today to spread light and give advice to those who want to continue their educational journey through Bartow IB. Even though it may not be my choice it is still my privilege to handcraft you a delicate essay about the ins and outs of IB. This outlook is from the side of the student who has gone down the path you are to embark on next year. A path full of obstacles blocking your way and sirens meant to pull you towards an abyss of social despair with only the loose worded promise that it will benefit you for a life to come.

To say it simply I do not know exactly what the future holds but what I do know is what this past year has taught me so I will give you some tips to help you through your sophomore year at IB. For instance, I recommend for all students taking AP classes to focus your time on areas that you struggle in to assure that you reach the highest GPA you can achieve. I also recommend to not wait on assignments and instead due them the day they are assigned to assure they are done without rushing or not done at all. On a less academic side of IB, I suggest you orient yourself away from those who dwell on negative energy and those whose primary character trait is that they are IB students. While these students are great people, they tend to be negative. What I mean by this is don’t let others make you feel less than you are due to grades or any other thing about you; instead work to benefit yourself and not to beat someone else.

Another tip is to make sure you assess how each teacher likes their assignments written and use the style that will appeal to them the most. For instance, if a teacher likes to see that you know the information make sure to write as much about the information as you can assuring that a point may not be taken off for not explaining what you already know. Coming from a student that has endured the last 8 months of IB I know that many teachers will say they want what is best for the student and will make it appear as if they are your guide down the path of IB. I recommend to all who continue in the glorious program of IB to do school in person due to limitations and pressures put upon students who continue their education online.  These teachers have shed their skin within the previous year and have revealed their indentations with their prejudices against those who are the most vulnerable. Those who due to covid-19 have made their home a sanctuary for all their needs whether school, church, or any social interaction.

Jonah Meyers

Hello future sophomore of Bartow high school IB. While my sophomore year may be a little different than yours, I believe that I can still give some meaningful guidance and insight into your upcoming year. I hope you listen to some of my advice to improve your educational experience for your following year. There are two sides to the advice I will give you. One will be the things that I wish I had done in my sophomore year and the things I had done that I believe improved my year.

Organization and non-procrastination are, what I feel to be, the most important things to consider during the years following freshman year.  My sophomore year was full of ups and downs solely because I was not on top of my work. If I were to ever go back in time, I would, without a doubt, tell my past self to stay organized and vigilant with my work so I do not have to spend so many easily avoidable nights doing homework until midnight. While these qualities are stereotypical for being very difficult to master, I feel that any step toward proficiency will make a noticeable difference in the amount of free time you have daily. Things such as starting your homework when it is assigned and setting aside ample time in your day to do homework are two conscious decisions you can make that will better your year.

I believe the biggest decision I made that helped my year would be consciously trying to make someone smile and being kind to everyone. People smile for a myriad of reasons, so getting someone to smile is something you or anyone else can do. Everyone has bad days and allowing them to forget about their worries for even a second is something I strive to accomplish daily and is something that, I believe, can be fulfilling for anyone. The people who are currently in your classes now will be the people you surround yourself with for the next three years of your life so spreading positivity instead of toxicity will matter.

Mycah Armes

Dear Freshman,

As a sophomore at IB, I have some tips to give to you incoming freshman since I was in your same shoes less than two years ago. You chose this program knowing of the rough challenges and hurdles to come your way. These hurdles may be difficult to overcome, but if you come in with the correct mindset and strategies, it is definitely possible.

You will be taking your first AP class, either APES or AP Human Geography. I took APES and the best advice I can give you is to take organized notes during lectures. Everything you will see on your test for any class will only have material that your teacher covered in the unit. This means that no one is at advantage, even that one smart nerd everyone is jealous of. APES is considered one of the easiest AP courses so you shouldn’t struggle too much throughout the year.

You guys will also have to take a mandatory Pre-IB Biology class from Mrs. Kennon. She may seem scary at first but after the first semester she becomes much nicer and does a fantastic job at teaching the course. Most teachers in the beginning (first quarter) seem scary because they want us to know what we have signed up for and to be prepared for the struggles that come in the future. For success in that class, you don’t even have to pick up the biology textbook. All of the content you take notes on should be enough to get you an A or a B on the exam. Also, literally every single freshman got a C or below on the first exam. IT’S OKAY. Everyone was used to taking exams without studying like they did in middle school. But studying in IB is crucial if you want to have a semester A or B. This includes not procrastinating on your assignments (which I’m sure you’ve heard of a billion times). I know. It’s tough. But the satisfaction you receive from completing an assignment days before the due date is amazing. If you hold off an assignment for later, it just builds up stress and then homework from other classes gets added on top of that. If you learn to complete this work beforehand, you can live your life stress-free and accomplish other extracurricular activities.

Lastly, just don’t get super stressed out and anxious. Remember, a grade does not define you. No one will make fun of you for getting an F on an exam. You won’t even remember this specific test/assignment when you’re in college and it won’t negatively impact your future. Just be smart on how you manage your time and success will come your way. Also, remember to make good friends, since you will be spending majority of your time with them for at least the next four years of your life.

Sincerely,

Raghav Bansal

Dear the class of 2024,

Hi this is Grant. I’m a sophomore going into my junior year. I would like to say first, congratulations of surviving thus far! You have a long journey ahead of you and it will be tough. I hope that you will take the lessons from your current teachers and apply them to now.

When entering the 10th grade, you will have much more independence which allows for assignments to pile up and catch you. If you stay ahead with your assignments, you won’t have any problems. This advice applies most to Mr. Guice, he is super nice with assignment dates but, he gives too much time. Make sure to read the books that he assigns throughout the time that is permitted (I read all of Monte Cristo in a day). I really hope that the class of 2024 isn’t as bad as our grade.

In chemistry, make sure that you know the polyatomics like the back of your hand otherwise you will suffer greatly. Don’t sweat all of your classes too much; your teachers really do care about you (even when they act like they don’t). If you ever are suffering, please, please let your teachers know, they will help.

Well, I hope that you do well next year! Sleep well over the summer,

Grant Parker, Class of 2023

Dear incoming freshmen,

I will admit, being a freshman at IB is hard, but it is so rewarding. I’m so very proud of what I have accomplished, and I hope you too will share my sense of achievement.

Perseverance is the biggest skill I have learned while in this program. Learning to deal with the difficult assignments where I feel my motivation is at the lowest. I encourage you to continue striving for that A. To continue to submit work even when it feels like there is a weight pressing down on you. I encourage you to keep going even if it feels like you cannot. I assure you that you can.

All motivational words aside some practical advice I can offer you is using your agenda and asking teachers for help. While many may scoff at the notion of using your agenda, it is exceedingly helpful when keeping track of multiple projects and remembering what is coming up in the week. Personally, it helps keep me level-headed going into the week; for you I hope it does the same. Another wise word is to always ask your teachers for help. They understand the pressure IB students are under, and they are there to help you succeed. Learning to ask for help is another valuable skill that has helped me through many an assignment.

My year as a freshman and sophomore will most likely be different than yours, after all most of it was completed in COVID. I also understand you have undergone the same struggles in 8th and 7th grade. I cannot vouch that your experience will be the same as mine, but these are the techniques that helped me through these rough times.

I wish you the absolute best,

Gianna Mantegna

Dear Upcoming Sophomore Class,

I am not sure if I am able to give the best advice, as this whole year has been full of its own odds and ends. Many things have happened, such as the pandemic, as well as the schooling at home situation. It was unlike any previous sophomore years, but nevertheless had its own positives. I for one did not come back to school until later in the year, but when I did, I was able to appreciate the school as well as my peers in a whole new light. With that background, let me try my best to give any advice best as I can.

There may be plenty of moments where one feels like giving up and holding up all efforts in trying to succeed in IB. Especially those who have been holed up in home and torn apart from their social environments. But constantly work towards a goal. You don’t have to think too far into the future, just some small goal to make yourself satisfied when you achieve it! I don’t know if your freshman class really did have a “freshman year”, but don’t take the nervousness and unconfident nature coming in next year to heart. Everyone has felt this way at one point coming into school and they have gotten over it, as you will eventually.

Finally, find good peers to share common interests with. The IB environment is different one from the normal environment, so use it to your advantage. There are people who think the same way you do here. Even if you don’t believe it. Do as you wish in your high school year, holding back in fear is never a feat one will admire in the future. I personally know the people I surround myself with alters my motivations and work ethics, as you will learn also. Any difficulties you have, do not hesitate to confide it with someone. If you have an overwhelming load of assignments, don’t think about all of them at once! Think to yourself you only will try to get one assignment done, maybe your work ethic will lead itself in when you finish that one assignment. The initial mindset will only stress you out and then make you procrastinate further, trust me.

Regards to the future successors of the sophomore class,

Acsah Lukose

Throughout my time as a sophomore at IB, I have encountered challenges and hardships. These challenges came in many forms: homework, tests, and managing my time. But, I found many ways to overcome these challenges that helped my experience. Two major challenges I found myself, and others, having trouble with was time management and getting help; but throughout the year I found solutions to these challenges.

I had issues with time management throughout the year, especially when doing extracurricular activities. Throughout the year I played tennis, and during tennis season, tennis took up many hours each day. I felt as if I barely had any time to do homework and study for upcoming tests on days with tennis after school. Some of the best advice about this came from Naki, who said that homework is studying. At first I was just trying to get my homework done so I could get to studying, but instead I learned that homework is a review of what you learn in class, which is studying. For example, in German class I could do the homework very fast if I was busy, google translating and not paying attention to it, but then I would still have to study later. Instead I could pay attention to my German homework and really try to learn from it, then I would not have to study. Although this advice seems obvious, because I was just trying to get homework done fast to improve my grade, I forgot that there is a correct way to use homework.

Another piece of advice I would like to give is the advice regarding getting help. I have known many people who have decided not to ask for help with a concept in a class, an assignment, or homework. There is guaranteed to be one thing that you do not understand, whether it be chemistry, math, English, or language. Even if you study five hours for a test, you will not pass it if you do not understand the material. So, I suggest getting help from a friend, or even an upperclassman. But one thing that isn’t always considered is to find another teacher through the power of the internet. On youtube, you can find hundreds of people teaching the same thing, and most of those people may teach the subject differently than your teacher. So, If you do not care for a teacher’s style of teaching or feel as if you just need to look at something from a different perspective, then searching for a second lesson on youtube is a great idea.

Luke Slaughter

To Freshmen entering IB,

Welcome to IB. I believe IB is an exciting school that can help you to your fullest potential. There are some keys though that might help you learn how to better organize your time wisely for your work and balance your everyday life without being so stress over the work. Number 1 I believe you should always stay on top on your work, so you don’t procrastinate over the work and become too stress over the work.

Number 2 I believe you should always talk to your teachers if there are any missing work that you can turn in for partial credit. You wouldn’t want a zero in the gradebook which would bring your grade down. Make sure to have your time planned out in order for you to get things done on time and can also get the right answer too.

Number 3 I believe you should always get the rest you need so that you are rested, and you are able to work with all your might. Plan out your time so you can get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep, that way you can get enough sleep and also can get work done at the same time. Also, when studying for tests or exams make sure to have many study sessions and break the material into parts that way you would able to take in the material and lastly of most, don’t stress and put too much on yourself. IB is great and I hope you do great in the next few years in IB.

Sincerely,

Joyli Zheng

Hello sophomores, welcome to your second year of high school. Unless you aren’t reading this at the beginning, and in that case, how’s school so far? In my tenth-grade year, I took pre-IB Spanish 3, pre-IB Chemistry 1, pre-IB English 2, AP World History Modern, AP Statistics, AP Psychology and IB pre-Calculus. Don’t make the same mistakes I did unless you are prepared. A poor judgment of mine led me to take 3 AP Level courses (AP World History Modern was required), all requiring AP Exams at the end of the year, because my friends were taking them. Carefully pick and choose the classes you have interest in, and don’t make decisions based off your “bestie”. The work is very rigorous, and if you have made it this far, you are more than capable of staying the remaining three years. However, if you have no friends and are struggling even the slightest to keep up with your assignments and maintain decent marks, I suggest reconsidering your decision. Dropping out does not make you weak and may actually free up your time to pursue your other non-academic goals in life. This program isn’t built for everyone, and not everyone is built for this program. Remember that. But if you have no worries in maintaining your assignments and have plenty of friends in the program, that’s wonderful.

For the classes I have taken, the workload can be variably heavy. The homework and material for Spanish was not bad at all; as long as you pay attention and are able to comprehend the different conjugation rules and the language itself, you will be fine. However, this depends on your teacher, as I had 3 different teachers throughout the year. For Chemistry, the homework is often given 30 minutes before the class ends, leaving plenty of time to do it then, and even more if you don’t finish. The tests really got me though as I am a more biology-preferring student. English is amazing and Mr. Guice is probably the best English teacher you’ve ever had and will have. For history, it is basically self-study, as the class was often confusing and I just found History boring in general. Statistics is one of those classes where if you don’t pay attention you’re done. So pay attention in that class. AP Psychology was probably one of the easiest classes, so that’s fine. Pre-Calc was also amazing, and Mrs. Frisbie is a great teacher and gives good explanations on concepts.

Now, in the social aspect of 10th grade at BHS IB, if by now you have not familiarized yourself with everyone in the grade, I suggest you do. Friend groups are good to have, but if something happens in the production of your schedule and you get a class with none of your friends, you don’t want to end up being that one awkward kid in the corner. There will be time for extracurriculars, if you don’t procrastinate. I know, you’ve already heard that a gazillion times. If you are anything like me, you probably have something you can turn in right now. Get to it. You don’t want to turn into a living calendar by having so many due dates in your head. One second, you’re out having the time of your life, then you realize you haven’t even started reading a book for English class, and there are study questions due next week. Getting things done at 11:58:59 doesn’t make you a clutch god. Well, it does, but it shouldn’t be something you’re proud of. Maybe once or twice, but other than that, at least start things the day they’re assigned and create a schedule for the arrangement of the assignment. You will have time to go out and enjoy yourself assuming COVID-19 is on the low.

Sammarth Gautam

Dear Freshman,

I’m glad you decided to come to IB! Personally, my freshman year was nothing like I expected it. It was better than my expectations but also worse at the same time. I had more of a social life than in middle school and I made some really good friends, but I had to learn how to manage my time and balance my school life and everything else. It was painful at first, but when I got used to it, it got a lot better. There were several times where I had to tell myself that I just need to pull through the quarter and that it would be better once it was over. I know that sounds really bad but there were also times where it felt like it was worth it to not drop out.

The first thing I would suggest doing is creating a schedule that you will stick to. It’s hard to not procrastinate, and a schedule will help you avoid procrastinating. I know it’s hard to keep your stamina while doing homework, but you will quickly fall into flow. Procrastination will stress you out a lot, and if you keep procrastinating the homework will pile up very quickly. It’s helpful to do the assignments the day that they are assigned. It relieves a lot of stress. Also, if you can’t finish your assignments on time, make sure to choose to do the homework that is more important or homework that you can’t use a late pass on. There are more consequences for turning in some homework assignments late than others. Less stress and good time management also leads to a good social life.

Having a good social life in IB is definitely a realistic expectation to have. If you can manage your time well then you will have plenty of free time to make friends and see your friends outside of school. During freshman year, there is enough freedom between homework and schoolwork and I think it’s easier to just form a solid social group freshman year. Additionally, I suggest trying to make friend during the first week of school, because it’ll be easier then than later since almost no one knows each other. However, don’t worry if making friends is hard for you. Your class will get closer to each other as people drop out and the class becomes smaller. Enjoy your four years in IB, you’ll do great!

Lara Elibol

Dear Upcoming IB Sophomore,

IB is a very hard and challenging program (as you know from Freshman year) and sadly, it does not get easier the farther you go. Throughout the program though, you will start to learn not only how to better manage this challenging work, but also learn to be better prepared for college. Although it doesn’t seem like it, going through with this program is probably one of the best decisions that you have made when preparing for college so far (good job you 😀). If you continue with this program, you will surprisingly learn some of the most important lessons in your college career. In fact, through my MANY mistakes this year I have learned three main important things to do: get the right amount of sleep needed, take a break occasionally, and DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!

I cannot stress enough how important it is that you DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! Seriously, not only will it stress you out like crazy and lead to so much more work for you to do, it will also cause you to really take a toll on your grades and take time away from your social life. I have literally worked till almost 2am and had to wake up at five in the morning the next day because of an essay that I waited the last minute to complete. I know that you are probably thinking right now that I am overreacting right now, but let me tell you from the deepest part of my soul that I am being 100% SERIOUS. So, the best advice that I can give you next year is this… When Mr. Guice assigns you a book to read, don’t wait till the day before a reading check to even look at the book; when Ms. Frisbie assigns an IB Review worksheet, do not wait till the last minute to do it; and, Dear God, DO NOT wait till the last minute to study for a 200-point chemistry test. In conclusion, just make sure to work on assignment and study at least a week before the due date or test date.

As for the other two tips, I highly recommend that you make sure to take a break every occasionally, and make sure to get as much sleep as possible. The main reason why you here so many kids that drop out of IB is because of the total mental destruction that the program causes. However, you can avoid all this terrible stress by just making sure to keep a healthy mental state through taking numerous breaks while working (but also while staying productive), and by making sure to go to bed early no matter how much you dread it. In conclusion, just make sure next year to sleep, socialize with friends, and not to procrastinate and you will be able to graduate with a diploma in your Senior year, or at least be able to pass Sophomore year in the IB program. So, have a great summer, a great Sophomore year, and good luck staying sane.

See you next year,

Raiden Saunders

Dear Upcoming Pre-Calculus Students,

Let me begin by congratulating you. You made it through your first year of high school, despite the fact that it was a very challenging year, you still made it. The academic year 2020-2021 was a very different year for all of us, with some classmates being fully face to face, while some students were completely online, trying to complete school behind a screen. My take on sophomore year will be from the perspective of a student who had to do 10th grade entirely online. Next year you might have a different take on 10th grade because school is trying to go back to normal, but here is some advice that might be handy.

As an IB student the workload may be slightly intense. Calendars are a great way to organize the days in which you will start an assignment and complete it. In classes like English with Mr. Guice, he tends to hand out multiple assignments with due dates in advance, so take advantage of this and plan out your calendar so you can finish the work and submit it on time. Using the calendar would also help you keep track of when your homework is due for pre-calculus. Pre-Calculus homework assignments are not designed to be time consuming, so if you feel like you have been stuck on a problem for too long, there is usually time in class when you can ask Mrs. Frisbie to go over a question. For Chemistry, Mrs. Loweke’s assignments are usually easy and does not take a lot of time to complete, but her tests are weighted heavily, and you need to use your application skills on them. I suggest studying for the chemistry tests at least 2 days before rather than the typical one day to prepare your brain to be able to understand the information and be ready to apply it in the test. If you are taking AP psychology, the course is mainly based on self-studying. I highly recommend using the Fast-track-to-a-Five review book to study for psychology’s unit test, and the book is a great resource to use for studying for the AP test. I do not have much advice for Spanish due to our teacher retiring, but the course was mainly on the grammar usage in Spanish, which also weirdly correlated in learning the English grammar with Mr. Guice. Our class took AP World History: Modern, which was mainly based upon memorization and applying history to a concept. These are just a sneak-peak on what sophomore year classes will be like, but I hope you can use my advice to help you go through 10th grade more freely.

In the last paragraph, I just listed everything that dealt with the core classes and different studying methods, though you are going to study more than you have in other years of school does not mean that is the only thing you are doing. As a student in IB, procrastination seems so tempting, but I highly urge you to try to avoid procrastinating on work. Especially during the 3rd and 4th quarters of sophomore year when you just want to be finished with assignments as soon as possible. Doing work earlier would let you have time to do more activities and help you avoid stressing yourself out because you have not completed an assignment. Due to Covid, many clubs in school have turned online or had completely shut down, but I recommend you join different clubs to help yourself be more aware of the high school environment, and those that had freshman year completely online, clubs will be able to help you connect with other freshmen by being in the same club as them. One of my last advice I can tell you as a sophomore is to have fun. You might make mistakes along the way, but it does not mean the world is going to end. This experience might be new for you, you probably were an all A student in middle school, but now getting Bs or Cs, but that’s fine because at the end of the day we are still kids and grades do not determine what type of person we are. We are only in the beginning of our lives, we still have a long way to go, so stressing about small details will not do us justice. The IB curriculum is rigorous, but with persistence and hard work, you can overcome anything, including IB.

You got this!

Kriti Shah

Dear IB Student,

I am going to give you a little bit of advice for next year, so you do not have any trouble. First of all, do not expect it to be easy because it is not. Hopefully, you came to this program because you wanted to and not because your friends are going. If you do not want to do the work or are not prepared for the challenge, then just leave because it will just hurt you to stay. You need to be prepared for the challenge or you will fall behind the others.

The teachers expect you to do all your work on time. I would say not to procrastinate, but I know that you will. Do not worry because I am pretty sure almost all the students have procrastinated at a time. If there is an option between face to face and e-school, try to choose face to face because it is better. You will focus more when you are in class rather than at home because you will not have distractions at school. Teachers also tend to like it better if you are a face to face. You may feel like some teachers are biased and do not worry because I have felt that way too. Personally, I feel like teachers like face to face students better, but that may not be true. If you do not get an A on an exam, it is not the end of the world because IB is not easy. Do your best and that is all that matters.

One last thing I want to say is not to stress. There is no benefit that will come by stressing over work. I recommend joining clubs so you can do some fun activities and forget about the stress. If you join clubs, you can hang out with your friends and just relax. Make sure that you are not only doing homework and studying all the time at IB. Make sure you have friends because IB is a lot tougher without them and it is good to have some people to talk to.

Good Luck!

Luv Patel

Over the past two years, IB has offered me a great deal. I’ve understood how it feels to fail, succeed, think I succeeded and fail, and think I failed and succeed. It’s a difficult program, everyone knows this. However, there are ways to make it easier. I can’t say you won’t feel like a failure at some point or you’ll always score well, but IB will teach you that there are things beyond a percentage or class rank. Here, you’ll learn how to work with people, how to work under stress, how to cope with failure, how to bond with people over common interests, how to help others, how to respect teachers despite them seeming difficult, how to manage time, how to study, and a multitude of other things. IB is a tough school, but there are benefits in attending if you choose to focus on those rather than on the negative aspects.

For example, in Precalculus this year, I’ve learned a lot aside from how to do math. Simply, this class is difficult for most. It definitely was for me. I remember being so upset over not understanding topics and not knowing why things weren’t making sense to me. This isn’t a class that you can slack off in and expect to maintain a good grade. Ms. Frisbie is a tough teacher, but she’s a good one who genuinely knows what she’s talking about and tries to understand why students make mistakes. Good teachers are there to help their students and Ms. Frisbie constantly offers her help and assistance. I regret not utilizing it more. I definitely could have done better if I had.

However, my biggest advice in IB is to put in the work. Now, when I say to put in the work, I know that most have additional classes that are hard, it’s tiring to do all the work, and a lack of motivation is sure to hit like a bus at some point. But, there are things that can be done. Such as, taking notes, listening in class, asking questions, emailing teachers for additional resources, doing review pages, skimming through notes at the end of the day, not saving your work until the last minute, asking your friends questions, and other healthy methods. Your life does not have to revolve around IB and if you’re strong in your subjects and spread out your work, you won’t have to struggle to keep up. In IB, always strive to do your best and be open to learning. If you don’t allow yourself the opportunity to grow, you cannot expect to reap any benefits, which is honestly applicable in every aspect of life. Don’t get lazy and let yourself lose your progress throughout the year and you’ll inevitably find success.

Hadyn Bush

For the classes AP Statistics, AP Modern World History, AP Psychology, IB Pre-Calculus, Pre-IB Spanish III, Pre-IB English II, and Pre-IB Chemistry, I recommend various homework, studying, and time management methods. For Precalculus and AP Statistics homework, I recommend doing it the day it is assigned as the homework can be lengthy and your memory from what was taught in class will help you. For Chemistry, the teacher will often give you enough time to complete the assignment in class, so I recommend doing it then so that you do not have homework later. For English, I recommend doing the assignment the day it is given to you, because the assignments for English often stack up quickly. For Spanish, the homework just seemed normal and we did not have too many assignments. For World History, the homework assignments can be quite lengthy, but you can usually get away with doing it whenever you want as long as you turn it in on time. For AP Psychology, I suggest just being tough and motivated to finish. The work is profoundly annoying and at points painful for my hands, but if you work hard during class you will have no homework.

Studying is a really important thing this year as the tests are weighed a lot in most of these classes. The tests are also more difficult. For Psychology and Modern World history, I suggest using the AP prep books provided by the teacher instead of the textbooks. Additionally, I suggest taking practice multiple choice quizzes online as they are a good way to assess if you know the information and often you get good questions. For Statistics and Chemistry, I suggest studying the notes only and no textbooks, because they teach a little differently than the textbooks. For English, just read the books and summary of the books and you should be good. Use a quizlet for the literary terms and try to recall the definition instead of recalling the term. For Spanish, just study the notes and try to find practice problems-this also works well with chemistry. For Pre-Calculus just study the review problems and make sure you know how to do them.

Time-management wise, you should likely spend most of your time at home studying instead of doing homework. Try to find time during the day to do homework like during YJP time, or when on the bus, or when the teacher gives you time. Using those minutes can add up to precious time to yourself in the evening. I usually spend 2 hours a day doing some sort of school thing, which really sucks, but if you don’t your grades can slip. A lot of the concepts this year are not pure memorization, which is good because that means less pure studying time, but more practicing time. I also suggest studying with full focus, because that reduces the amount of time needed to understand a concept. One last study tip to understand the teacher psyche is to memorize this quote by Yevgenia Albats “Any authoritarian regime, having suppressed normal political conditions, will find itself in need of internal and external enemies, someone to blame for people’s misfortunes.” Do not do online school if given the chance-you will be treated worse and they will get away with it while knowing they are doing it and slightly enjoying it (and slightly is a gross, repulsive, and disgusting under-exaggeration). Anyway, try to get through it I guess…

Keshav Singh

This past year has been a journey for sure. Zoom has become our new classroom which was very strange at first; however I’ve learned to adapt with the help of my teachers. At IB, teachers always strive to make sure you get the best education possible which was extremely helpful during this complicated time. I’m not sure if things will be back to normal next year but keep in mind that the teachers will always have your back. Through this experience I have learned that you should always be prepared for change whether that’s in change in curriculum or teaching style. You should stay open to new ideas and concepts of achieving a certain goal.

It might be hard to balance your personal life and education but I’ve learned that you can do so through time management. As soon as school starts you should make a strict schedule that incorporates a set time for homework and free time. This will program your mind so that you stay productive and efficiently make use of your time. Also, try to break apart large assignments like essays into smaller parts so that you don’t get overwhelmed by doing it the day before it’s due. I also recommend that you do smaller assignments the day that they are assigned to keep everything organized. As for studying I suggest that you study one main concept a day and start reviewing at least three days before the assessment so you are not cramming.

My main advice is to keep everything organized whether it’s your daily routine or your homework. Also, try not to procrastinate or it will just leave you with a mountain of work and no motivation to do it. Even if teachers accept late assignments, try your best to finish everything on time. Everyone has their own way of tackling school work but just make sure that your method is effective for you. And most importantly, don’t lose yourself in school work, make sure to still enjoy life while staying on top of your work.

Nirja Patel

Dear Freshman,

So, I am guessing you are coming to IB in order to follow your ambitions in order to achieve a better education for the next 4 years of your life also to increase your chances of getting into your potential dream college or school for a better career and future. Therefore, in order for you to fulfill all your goals and dreams, I am here in order to give you some helpful pieces of advice which you may or may not listen to, but it is a grade for me, so I have to do it anyways.

For your first piece of advice, you may want to not procrastinate although I cannot speak from experience on turning in all work at the right time but keep in mind it will help you in the long run because you will be able to get higher grades on assignments without losing any sort of late penalty. Also, try to create a small friend group from the start of your high school career because eventually some people will become more annoying than others also, they will start to talk behind your back and much more things like gossip, etc. But keep in mind that indulging in drama in a school like IB never ends well since you are a small school, and many people will either try to get you in trouble or start easily believable rumors and a mix of drama and education never ends well and you may want to stick with people who don’t aggravate you constantly.

Now rather than social tips I will give you more school and work related tips on which classes you should focus in so to start off you should always pay attention in classes like pre calc and all other math courses you take and you should make sure to dedicate at least an hour a week to studying all your notes which you will take in those classes also I advise you to try and complete homework in classes whenever possible because trust me it makes a large difference in your work load at home and it can increase the time which you have in order to study. Also, I recommend you try to be “one of those kids” in classes like History and English because they tend to grade easier on them and I can speak from experience because I have written several DBQS in history which are 5 paragraphs each which have taken up 2 pages and thereafter received zeros upon them and rather my friends whose DBQS aren’t historically defensible, and incomplete received 100s making me very discouraged to do much work in those classes but if you are to take these tips which I have given you to heart you should be perfectly fine.

Krishna Patel

Dear incoming sophomore,

Congratulations on making it through your first year of the IB program. Lucky for you, most people who go through IB consider freshman year to be more difficult than sophomore year, mainly because you have already gone through the difficult transition from middle to high school. However, that does not mean sophomore year is just a breeze or simply unimportant. Your classes will be more difficult than they were in 9th grade, but the workload is somewhat similar and you will already be used to working hard. Continuing to work hard in the 10th grade is important, but your sophomore year will also be a lot of fun, so it is important to learn how to balance your academics, extracurriculars, and social life throughout this year.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you for your sophomore year is to not get lazy with your work. Your teachers in the 10th grade will be more lenient with deadlines than your teachers in 9th grade were, and it can be tempting to start pushing back your assignments further and further when you do not want to do them. This became an issue in my class this year, specifically with Mr. Guice’s assignments, and it ended with Mr. Guice being rightfully upset with all of us for not turning in large amounts of work on time. Apart from making your teachers upset with you, it just generally is not a good idea to get super behind on your work. The more you turn in assignments late, the more you will have to procrastinate current assignments so you can get your late work done, which leads to a cycle of never turning work in on time and likely losing more sleep than is necessary. Try your best to get things done on time, but if you do have to turn in an assignment late every once in a while, it is not the end of the world as long as you do not take advantage of your teachers’ leniency.

As for advice that is specific to precalculus, there really is not much you need to know. Math is one of the subjects that I have the hardest time learning, and I can honestly say that this class was one of the least of my worries this year. Ms. Frisbie is very good at explaining math to people that do not usually understand math, so if you are apprehensive about taking this class, I would advise you not to worry too much. The only things that you should stress about for this class are the semester exams. Ms. Frisbie tries to simulate an actual IB math exam with these tests, so they are obviously very different from normal unit assessments. You will receive a review for both the first and second semester exams, however, so I would recommend that you use them and review the best that you can. Apart from that, just do your homework and complete the (optional) review packets before the unit tests, and you should not have much of a problem.

As for miscellaneous advice concerning the 10th grade, I cannot stress enough how important it is to learn your polyatomics for chemistry. Once Mrs. Loweke introduces polyatomics, they will not go away for the rest of the year, and you will need them for almost every unit. Make a quizlet set, make flashcards, write them over and over again if you have to – you have to learn them to get through the class. I say this because I know people who did not learn all of their polyatomics when Mrs. Loweke started talking about them and they suffered through chemistry because of it, so just learn them once and do not forget them. Apart from academics, I would recommend joining a club, playing a sport, or doing something outside of school that you did not do freshman year. I mentioned before that sophomore year is easier than freshman year, so take advantage of that and try to have fun and get involved with more extracurricular activities. Sophomore year was the year that I started getting more involved with debate club, and it became something that I really looked forward to every week and I even became the secretary for the club. Try to find something that you enjoy doing that can take your mind off of school for a little while. Otherwise, just get your work done, try to get involved in some extracurriculars, and have fun before you start your junior year. Sophomore year is honestly pretty fun, so do not take things too seriously and enjoy your time in 10th grade.

Your friend,

Samantha Pattey

This past year was a trip, and for those currently joining the tenth grade and Pre-Calculus class, there are a few things you should know and do to make your life here a little bit easier. For me, the difference between my ninth and tenth grade was drastic, and with many students coming to the school physically for the first time after online-learning, the change for the sophomores next year will be even more extreme. Over the past school year, I would say I did relatively well in most of my courses, although I did lose motivation somewhere near the middle of the school year where my grades dipped visibly. The increased number of lectures instead of actual work gives you the option to procrastinate and avoid getting things done. In order to avoid losing motivation because of this, I would recommend these three things that you can do: creating a daily schedule, finding something consistent to fill your free time, and focusing on getting an acceptable amount of sleep.

Creating a schedule should be one of your first priorities during your school year, as creating a rough framework for your day gives you an idea of how the day will be and what you are expected to do. I can see students who are online learning having more variability in their daily activities, as they are given more freedom at home and do not have the stress of being physically at school. Now, you do not need to actively write down what and when you are going to something in your agenda (that almost no one ever looks over). I recommend trying to repeat what you do daily and creating a mental list giving your goals for the day. Doing the same thing every day does not exactly sound fun, but the IB program was not designed to be fun, and at the time, my main goal was to get through every day as quickly as possible. Whether you find your time in tenth grade enjoyable or not, planning ahead and falling into a schedule is definitely something you should do to get by quickly.

Aside from major events and obligations to do every day, you also need to figure out what you will be doing in between those plans, and possibly incorporate this leisure time into your schedule so that you can find that moment of relaxation and entertainment (to keep you from going insane). This free time includes in between classes and transportation, and it helps you take breaks to motivate you throughout the day. For me, I mainly listened to music and watched anime on my phone, but socializing and sleeping also work effectively here. Doing something that you looked forward to after school helps you forget the mundaneness and prevents you from dreading the next day entirely. You also need to be careful not to overstep this leisure time into your school activities, as it can often lure you to put assignments and unfinished things off further.

Getting enough sleep is quite crucial for passing tenth grade efficiently, though I may be hypocritical here. I have fallen asleep in my classes too many times for me to count, and figuring out what you wrote before you fell asleep, and what you missed while you were sleeping in your notes is quite a frustrating ordeal. Find a good time for you to go to sleep and prioritize it over things such as gaming and entertainment, which can often keep you awake. Overall, if you plan things out, you can get through these courses quite easily and pass tenth grade.

Yi Su

Hello random student that I may or may not know,

If you have made it past freshman year without crying, congrats… I didn’t. All jokes aside, I am very proud of you for accomplishing your first year of IB. I remember it being a challenge to see what your true work ethic was like. I learned a lot about myself from these past 2 years at IB than I probably would have learned at regular Bartow (this could be true, it could not. We will never know). I know that this past year has been… different. Not for you, but for everyone. I know for sophomore year there have been tests on relationships, friendships, and grades. Which is what I guess I’ll be talking about.

So basically, freshman year was a piece of cake compared to work and friendships. Although my experience may have been a bit different than yours, I want to give you the best advice I can from my experience. Let’s be honest now, the friends you have at this very moment, you may not have next year. But that’s okay, everything works out in the end. For me, I lost all of my friends at the beginning of sophomore year. But I gained 3 extremely good ones towards the end of the year. When this type of thing happens to you, you realize more about yourself and the people around you. You realize what you like and what you don’t like. You may not see eye to eye with people in your grade and that’s okay. There are always disagreements, but it’s how you come out of that situation that makes it worthwhile. Just remember that you’re maturing as you grow up. I can tell you right now that you are not going to be the same person at the end of sophomore year like you were at the beginning of freshman year.

I’m almost done so don’t worry. But now here is what everyone deems “the most important part of school” … grades. I won’t say whether I agree with this statement or not because Ms. Frisbie will be reading these after all, so I don’t want to get in trouble. But I will say that your grades are extremely important, and you have to take them seriously. You may think that an assignment is dumb and you’re stubborn and don’t want to do it. But guess what, you need to do it. Want to know why? Because your teacher assigns work for you to learn, everything a teacher assigns is for you to get better at the subject, no matter how dumb or long it is. Everything assigned should be done on time. Here’s another point I want to make… don’t cheat. Teachers hate cheaters as much as your classmates hate cheaters. Besides you’re not learning anything when you cheat so it doesn’t benefit you like you think it will. Once you take a test, you’re automatically going to fail because you cheated your way through the lesson. I just want to be honest with that aspect of school really quick because even if you think a teacher doesn’t know… they know.

My last statement is to enjoy sophomore year because it will only get harder from here.

Thank you for your time,

Anna Sommer

Incoming Sophomores,

You are about to venture forth into your second year of IB. Last year must have been difficult, considering Covid and the already common struggles most freshman experience; however, I am here to provide some advice – granted, it might not be useful advice. I know that in my freshman year, I struggled with developing a relationship with my teachers and seeking actually reliable guidance from them. Whether you tried communicating with your teachers last year or not, you should make it a point to reach out to your teachers whenever necessary. I am aware that talking face-to-face with a teacher might be nerve-wrecking for some people, especially if you are intimidated by authority, so at least reach out through email – this can be an incredibly useful tool since you could plan out responses until you are ready to press send.

In addition to developing a relationship of trust and emotion, I struggled immensely with my procrastination tendencies. I know this will probably be a recurrent theme among a lot of the teacher’s motivational speeches at the start of next year. It might even be the most common advice presented within the lines of everyone’s essay responses. Although I would love to tell you not to procrastinate, that might not change – if anything, my procrastination only got worse as more time went on. Even if you ignore every teacher’s plea to stop procrastinating on homework, another issue you will encounter is planning.

Even if I seldom stuck to the schedule, I had a routine that worked for me, and ensured I had time to work on all my homework assignments. A routine should be established as soon as possible – a routine that you could use for the next three years. This system for getting work done was quite helpful because it catered to my needs specifically. For example, after school is over, I like to come home from school and fall asleep into a deep, deep sleep, then wake up early in the morning to complete all my assignments. After spending 7 hours at school learning, I do not want to come home and immediately begin work again. I need a time to recharge and reevaluate which homework assignments are most important. This system might not wok for everyone, but it certainly helps me stay organized. By establishing and following a routine as quickly as possible, you would better manage your time now before you start your junior and senior year.

Best regards,

Michelle Berrios

My sophomore year of high school was nothing I ever would have expected. It is cliché to say, but this school year has been unlike any other. Overall, my workload has been less compared to previous years. Though, it is still difficult to manage things on top of my work including sports, family, and friends. I think it to be most beneficial to focus on high school as a whole and not linger on the topic of the pandemic.

The most important piece of advice I can relay is to put your schoolwork above all else. I am not saying to make your entire life centered around school, but to make sure you stay on top of your grades and submit assignments on time. This will benefit you in the long run. I will say it’s one of the most relaxing feelings to know that you have a big project or essay done way before it’s due, and you don’t have to stress about it while your classmates scramble to get it done the night prior. Every Friday night I complete as much work as I can for the week ahead so I can have the entire weekend to relax and enjoy time for me. Of course, situations do rise where you aren’t able to complete certain assignments when they are due. Your teachers will usually be reasonable with due dates and grades so don’t fret.

Another important piece of advice to keep in mind is to make the most out of high school. This doesn’t mean to be irresponsible with your decisions but getting involved with school-related activities such as sports game, clubs, or socials will allow you to create lasting memories. Don’t think that just because you attend IB you must be tied down to schoolwork and that’s it. During your sophomore year you’ll have the time to get out and enjoy high school. Even small aspects of class, such as free time and group discussions can be enjoyed. Be sure to appreciate the group of kids and teachers around you, because you’ll be stuck with them for the few years to come.

Alexandra Wizda

Dear incoming sophomores,

If you happen to be reading this letter out of the many that are available for your perusal, I would like to welcome you. How are you? You have just completed your first year at IB, congratulations! My experience in freshman year won’t be very helpful because it was cut short thanks to the Pandemic, but that does not mean I cannot be helpful in providing advice for your sophomore year.

I have remained an online student throughout this year, but that doesn’t change what I have learned. Personally, I believe this year is by far the easiest. That does not mean that you won’t have to worry about your grades or that the material is easy, it simply means that you have adapted to the IB environment so you will be able to better manage your time to complete your work effectively. I will start by giving some general advice; coming into your sophomore year you should have a positive mindset because starting off the year strong will definitely help you avoid burnout. For me, the end of the second quarter and most of the third quarter was a bit rough because of the amount of work in general, English to be precise. My advice would be to not procrastinate in English, Mr. Guice is very lenient but that does not mean you should take advantage of that. The due dates he assigns are there for a reason, so try and stick by them. If you play sports, you should definitely make sure you time-manage properly because not doing so may also lead to a burnout. Another very important thing to remember throughout your high school career is to not compare yourself to others especially in IB, which is something I have to work on as well. You should know what you are capable of, so don’t get discouraged by others because everyone is different.

For all the classes that you will be taking this upcoming year, I recommend you try and figure out what method of learning works for each class, especially for your AP classes. I will not be including Spanish because our Spanish teacher retired in the middle of the year, so I don’t really have proper advice. For English, as I said earlier, stick to the deadlines and you should be fine, but on top of that try to pay attention and learn the grammar. This is the year for you to improve your writing and Mr. Guice is amazing at helping you do so. For Pre-calc I recommend having a notebook and taking notes, it really helps you retain more information. Also, when studying for tests in this class use the reviews that Ms. Frisbie posts, they really help. Chemistry has a nice structure for notes so you have the information; however, I would recommend that you ask her for specific questions (hardest questions) that could show up on the test when she goes over the review. For AP Modern World History take notes, it takes time to get used to the structure of this class, but I recommend taking notes in class, then skimming through the amsco AS you watch the Heimler videos (very short, 5-10 minutes) on Youtube. AP Psychology is more of a self-taught class, but it is extremely interesting and relatively easy because it is mostly vocabulary, try not to slack off. I know it is hard not to, but trust me you do not want to cram for AP exams. For AP statistics, Mr. Naki is a phenomenal statistics teacher so just pay attention and trust him because he will definitely prepare you for the exam. Of course, not everyone has the same schedule, but these are the classes I took my sophomore year and the advice to go along with them.

I hope reading this letter will be a little helpful in navigating your sophomore year. Remember to take the time to enjoy life because not everything has to revolve around school. I wish you guys the best of luck, you got this.

Sincerely,

Khushi Chauhan

Well to say the least 2020-2021 has been quite a year. Thankfully, a lot of our teachers have been very gracious with time on how we can do assignments, and it’s meant a lot to me and my friends along the way; however, even with all the grace periods we all ran into a bunch of issues. For those who take AP Stats, and AP Psych, you’ll have a decent amount of homework from those two classes alone, but if you’re able to have friends that can help keep you on track, they’re very fun courses and probably the most interesting information I’ve learned in my life.

Throughout this year I’ve learned a bunch of moral lessons that I think would help some other people if they were told explicitly. To start, at the end of your high school career, your specific grades you get on tests, assignments, huge projects won’t matter in the end. Of course, if you’re looking for a higher GPA it’s definitely beneficial, but don’t get overwhelmed because you let a ‘below good’ grade on something. That mindset alone has helped me through so many tough tests, but again I’m not exactly looking for a higher GPA, I like to look at IB as a bunch of ideals and friends that you can get out of the program.

Lastly, probably the biggest piece of advice I can give to anyone going through this program, is that in the end nothing really matters. By this I don’t mean you don’t have to try at anything, but instead look for new experiences while going through IB. If you’re just stuck going through the schoolwork it can get very tiresome at times, and I’ll be honest my best friend, Alex Wizda, has helped strike happiness and joy into my days here. I believe what I’m trying to say, is enjoy the small time you have to grab happiness out of everything, that time will slowly dwindle down as you grow old just because you’ll have more responsibilities to care for.

Harry Milam

Dear underclassmen,

Congratulations on making it to the end of this past year that will now be permanently engrained in our heads as the COVID year! As a precalculus student who just finished sophomore year, I will be giving you advice about the courses I’ve taken and general advice on how to survive another year at IB Bartow. Some general advice that can be applied to any class is to listen keenly, keep up with all your schoolwork, and stay in good communication with your classmates and teachers. Maintaining good relationships with those around you can drastically help your success in your classes. Ask for help when you need it and don’t shy away from asking questions in class when you have them. Although I know this is easier said than done, take the first step by asking that dreaded question, and keep doing it. The more you do something, the easier it will become.

As many of you know, completing homework and classwork is a huge part of IB, a place where everyone does and talks about it all the time. As a COVID student this year, all I had to do when looking for my assignments was to go into Schoology and look them up. I admit, Schoology was an extremely useful tool for staying organized, especially if you have teachers who organize everything by date and chapter and/or even posts reminders about things we would totally forget about. If Schoology is not available to you next year, I would highly recommend a different but functional aid that helps you stay organized (digital or paper) like an agenda or a reminders app on your phone.

Although most people think of IB as an antisocial place where try-hards thrive, it is important to note that we have social lives too, and our lives don’t have to revolve around school. Personally, I believe that focusing on school too much can cause excess stress that is sometimes unnecessary and that we need distractions to help alleviate this stress. Personal hobbies that you’re interested in, like sports, music, or reading and social gatherings can greatly help you balance your workload and keep your stress at bay.

An extra helpful tip would be to keep all your notes from your years in high school, no matter how useless they may seem to you. No one can completely predict the future and you may find yourself in college needing some extra information from a class you forgot about entirely from freshman year. Additionally, don’t take extra dual enrollment classes when you don’t need to. It’s best to take one at a time during the school year, and maybe two during the summer so you have something to do, but a GPA booster isn’t worth your sanity.

I hope this advice helped you in anticipating what will happen next school year and that you have a successful sophomore/junior year here at IB. I wish you the best of luck in all your future educational endeavors!

Caroline Yu

Dear Reader,

I am sure you can agree with me when I say this past school year was a bit challenging. We were limited on many aspects of our lives: Hanging out with family and friends, attending school functions, extracurriculars and clubs, and so on. But…We made it! At IB challenges are thrown your way whether or not you’re ready, it’s how you deal with them that counts.

This school year I learned how I learn in courses such as: WHAP (AP World History) and Chemistry. For courses similar to these two, I suggest that you read your chapters and note them prior to test-day. In math classes such as Pre-calc, PRACTICE. You will find that practicing mathematical concepts makes the process more enjoyable. I am here to tell you to practice and make sure you understand what is being taught. Math and English have always been two of my favorite subjects.

So, as you go into this upcoming school year, I want to give you two pieces of advice: The first being have fun! No matter what obstacle comes in your direction, make the experience enjoyable in your own way. My second piece of advice, learn for the sake of learning! Grades are important, but it is better to understand and get good grades than to not understand and get not-so- good grades. I wish you the BEST as you enter the next grade level and encourage you to work hard and have fun.

Lauren Butler

Hi incoming sophomore!

Congrats on finishing your first year of IB! With everything going on in the world right now, you should give yourself some credit for persevering through your freshman year during a global pandemic.  My advice to you will be from the perspective of an on-campus learning sophomore. Hopefully, things will turn back to normal soon, and you may find yourself in a completely different experience. If not, I hope you will find my following tips helpful.

Compared to freshman year, I think the workload for sophomore year was very similar. I wouldn’t say that sophomore year is the easiest, but I do believe that you learn to become accustomed to the tough workload so that it becomes more manageable. If you haven’t already, definitely come up with a plan that works best for you to manage all your due dates for assignments, tests, and other important events. Even though Schoology has a calendar with all the assignments online, I prefer to physically write down and cross off the tasks I need to get done. I use a bullet journal because I can be flexible in organizing my tasks in my own layout. I make spreads for every week and write down each assignment by the day that it’s due. In addition, I track my long-term assignments, projects, and test dates on monthly spreads. You have heard the words “Don’t procrastinate!” a million times already, but it’s honestly so much easier to start your homework as soon as it’s assigned to prevent rushing to turn in work that is done below your capabilities.

As long as you do the work, study on your own, and pay attention, you should be just fine in all of your classes. If you find yourself struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out to your teachers for help and always ask questions when you are confused. For Chemistry, there is a lot of memorization, but you also need to truly understand the concepts and be able to apply them. Mrs. Loweke’s Chemistry tests often contain questions that combine ideas across the entire chapter, so try to understand how each topic is connected. I found that rewriting the notes by condensing them into one page, redoing some worksheet problems, and finding practice problems online helped me study for her tests. There is a lot of content to remember for AP Modern World, and the AMSCO and Heimler’s History YouTube Videos are great resources for studying. Understanding how the events are connected throughout the timeline is important as well. In Pre-calculus, the class builds upon the knowledge that you learned in Algebra 2 and goes into more depth. Even though the notes are posted online, I recommend writing your own notes too. Remember to write the date on the top of your notes so that it would be easy to reference Ms. Frisbie’s notes online if you need to when you’re studying for the tests later on. If you take Orchestra, Mr. Pranno’s class is practically the same. AP Psychology requires a lot of self-studying, and you should try to space out the time it takes to read the textbook. English has a heavy workload with grammar work, reading, mini-EE, and other assignments. Even though Mr. Guice is lenient about the deadlines, you should always try your best to finish your work by the initial due date.

I may be biased, but I think learning at school is a lot easier than learning online. I feel that I participate more, and I am more focused when I’m physically in the classroom rather than on Zoom. Plus, there are more opportunities to interact with your teachers one-on-one that is not the same as writing an email. If you spent your entire freshman year online, then going in-person for your sophomore year is a great chance to make new friends and build connections. Your peers are struggling through the same things you are, so don’t be afraid ask for help and kindly assist others too. In the scenario where you have to choose between on-campus learning and e-learning, I highly recommend on-campus learning as long as your family is comfortable with it. However, if you do find yourself learning online, try to participate as much as you can in class. You can gain a lot of beneficial knowledge just by asking and answering questions, and you would build better relationships with your teachers. Don’t cheat on homework or assessments. You’re only hurting yourself in the long run. Also, take the time to step away from your device in between classes and to try to go outside after school.

All in all, if you skipped to the end (I won’t take offense) my final advice is that what works for others may not work out for you. Look up to those successful upperclassmen and peers around you, but also figure out on your own what is best for you.

Good luck and take care of yourself,

Chi Pham

Dear Sophomores,

I would like to congratulate you on making it through your first year of IB! It is hard work to get through that first year, yet you overcame the challenges. It can be very intimidating coming to a brand-new school, let alone a school with a reputation like IB, but hopefully you realized it is not as scary as you thought. The people in your grade will help you get through the next two years. Trust me, you will need that emotional support so branch out and make new friends.

In this letter, I would like to advise you on how to get through your sophomore year at Bartow IB. As you may have heard, sophomore year is known as “the calm before the storm”, which is honestly true from my experience. Sophomore year is easy and hard at the time. Sophomore year is more relaxed than freshman year, but at the time it may not seem to be. It is easy to fall behind and procrastinate because the teachers are not as intimidating as the freshman teachers. Do not let that fool you though, they will not hesitate to call you out for your crap. They want you to succeed at IB and they are willing to help you with that no matter what, but if you prove yourself to not be worthy of their help or kindness then say sayonara. You need a good relationship with your teachers just as much as you need a good relationship with your fellow classmates.

Speaking of good relationships, take note from a student in the infamous sophomore class of 2020-21. We have a bad reputation. Everyone knows it. Not to go into detail, but our class relationship is not that strong. There is so much unnecessary drama within our class. Make friends with the people around you. You do not want to be stuck with people you hate while going through a time in your life that you will probably hate at times too. I do not want to sound like an inspirational billboard but being positive and keeping that positive energy is so beneficial. Positivity will keep you focused on the goods things and allow you to focus on schoolwork. It will relieve your stress. Think about it, being angry at one person, and being stressed about a test at the same time will drain all your energy. Precious energy that you need to put towards school. IB is something that you can bond over with your classmates. Being in the same boat builds this unsaid connection with one another. So, be nice to one another and build that connection.

Now more to the school portion of my advice. Here is what people have been telling you since you came to IB: do not procrastinate. It’s true. There is a reason that people keep saying it. Why would you push off all of your assignments till 9:30 at night when you could do them right when you get home from school? You may think well I don’t want to do it right now; I would rather be on my phone. Let me tell you, that logic is faulty. If you do your homework right when you get home, you’ll have so much more time to be on your phone after you finish. You can stay up being on your phone instead of doing homework. To me, that’s the better option. You can even take a thirty-minute break to eat, or sleep when you first get home. You don’t have to jump straight into homework, but life is so much easier when you get it out of the way immediately. Another good tip is to take good notes. Miss Frisbie posts her notes on her website, but that doesn’t mean you should not take notes. When you write things down, you often remember them better. If someone just speaks at you, you are less likely to remember what they’re saying. Don’t think you can remember everything. You may have been able to get by without notes in middle school, where you might have been above the playing field, but now the playing field has changed. There are going to be people that are smarter or are quick to remember things that might take you a minute to figure out. Don’t let that faze you. Do what is best for you. Let me tell you, notes are the key to succeed.

I hope this letter helped you, or at least inspired you to stay. IB is such a wonderful program. You are surrounded by like-minded people who like to learn just as much as you. You are all here for a reason. Do not take this opportunity for granted. Not many people get the shot that we all have. Being here may always seem like a train wreck, but once you pull through the damage you feel accomplished. It is the best feeling in the world, I swear. I look forward to seeing you all go through this program and flourish.

Best of luck and best of wishes!

Abbey Johnson