The ball dropped, the couples kissed, and the calendar flipped. It’s 2012, and everybody is making New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions typically involve either bettering oneself or making life better for others. Most resolutions fall into the first category, but resolutions that fall into the latter category are just as important to make, if not more so.
As somebody who spends the majority of her waking hours at school, either in class or in after-school activities, making life better for others mainly takes place at JC.
Some of the best things about JC are the extracurricular activities, including this nationally ranked and award-winning school newspaper. Four of the winter sports teams are ranked among the top 15 teams on the Baltimore Sun’s 2011 High School Sports Poll. JC also has arguably the best theater department among Harford County high schools. The list could go on and on because there is so much at this school of which to be proud.
Unfortunately, there seems to be very little support from the student body. For example, the women’s basketball team played IND recently. They are one of our biggest rivals, yet when I was at the game, the number of JC students was far outnumbered by the number of people who had come from IND. These are people who had to come from Baltimore, whereas all our students had to do was stay after school. To show support for the amazing things that fellow students do, go to a new event to support a friend or a classmate. Find some way to support your school this year.
One of the best ways to get involved at JC is to join a team or an activity of some sort. Especially for the freshmen, now is the perfect time. Don’t be afraid to join something new, because there’s no better way to meet people and make friends than through clubs and sports.
The same goes for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. If you are available after school, try track and field. Even for a not-very-athletic person like me, track was a great way to get involved my freshman year.
If sports just aren’t your thing and you want to try something academic, try out Speech and Debate or Academic Team. While it’s too late for the musical, if you like to sing, join Music Ministry. All of these clubs are welcoming and full of fun people and experiences.
Last but not least, appreciate each other. Try to adopt an attitude of respect toward everyone, even people who are difficult to get along with. Constantly being at war with somebody is not a good use of time and energy.
If there is a teacher who you just can’t get along with, resolve to find something that you can agree on, or at least try not to argue with them every single class. If somebody in your class really rubs you the wrong way, try to find a way to get along with them, and if all else fails, avoid them as much as possible so that they don’t bring down your mood. Trying to focus on the positive instead of the negative is a surefire way to guarantee a happy new year.
Martha Schick is a Managing Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.