There’s one thing that senior Aleshia Lee says she wishes she had known as a freshman.
“I wish I had known about all the organizations offered at school, like Project Woman,” says Lee. “If I were in (Project Woman) my ninth grade year, I would have stayed in it until now,” Lee says.
Though Lee did join Concert Choir for the last three years and Marching Band as a pommarette for the last two years, she never did get involved in Project Woman.
She and other students took a moment recently to tell The Jay what they wish they had known as freshmen.
While Lee wished she had explored more organizations as a freshman, others, like senior Bernard Banks, say that they wish they had known that school is the most important priority in life during high school years. Banks says some students think that their part-time jobs or their sports teams are more important than their grades, but he has learned otherwise.
The other lesson Banks says he needed to learn sooner is how to handle his teachers. “I wish I knew how to handle the negative situations better, like disrespecting teachers even if they disrespect you…it’s just not worth it,” said Banks.
“I wish I had known to take all my graduation requirements like Business Management and Technology as a freshman and get it out of the way,” said sophomore Sarita Crawford. She says she sometimes sees seniors in classes with mostly freshmen because the seniors waited too long to take required classes.
Most, like juniors Tiffany Hughes and Kristian Bryant, say they wish they had taken their classes more seriously. Bryant says he wishes she had known that “Passing my classes was extremely important, not only right now, but for my future.”
Sophomore Chantell Walker says she wishes she had known to seek out math tutoring as a freshman. “I wish I had gotten help in math in my ninth grade year,” she said. She now knows that the National Honor Society offers free tutoring after school in the library and individual teachers will help students after school as well.
English teacher Kara Shuell says, “Freshmen should know that this year should count, and they should take it seriously from the very beginning. Get involved because it’s going to be important to make your school a part of your community. Take advantage of what your teachers have to teach you.”
Social Studies teacher Jamie Glinz, who graduated from Southfield High in 2000, says he wants to send a simple message to freshmen: “Everything counts from here on out towards your future.”
Glinz encourages freshmen to take advantage of the opportunities offered at school and in the community. He suggests joining a variety of activities and keeping with the ones the student likes best. Glinz did just that in high school. He was on the school’s basketball team, football team, tennis team, soccer team and baseball team. He also served as the sports editor for the school newspaper.
A list of the school’s clubs and organizations is printed in the front pages of the student planner.