With the first semester almost completed, many freshmen look forward to relaxing and spending time with their families during the Christmas vacation. Though some are relieved already, a week of finals stood between them and three weeks of sleeping in, playing games and drinking egg nog.

The current freshmen now have a taste of the high school experience. Although many savored the semester as new and exciting, they are relieved to have completed half of the year.

?I am relieved that it is Christmas vacation,? Kitahara, ’11, junior varsity cheerleader, said. ?I only have half a year left. The only thing I?m unhappy about is all of my finals.?

Finals are important to many students’ grades because they can determine whether the students pass the class or not. This stresses many teens out, like Kitahara, who thinks finals week is the hardest part of the semester.

?When it comes to finals,? Kitahara said, ?you have to remember everything that you have studied the whole semester. There is so much material you have to study and cram in.”

Some freshmen found themselves not doing well academically, but others found their semester much easier than they had anticipated.

?This semester was a lot easier than I thought,? freshman Michele Graham, junior varsity basketball player, said, ?because there is not that much homework. I thought there would be a lot.?

Freshman Mike Wilson agrees with Graham about their first semester of freshman year being easier then they thought. Wilson spoke to past high school students, of which many gave a false description of the experience.

?Every high school student I talked to said that high school is hard,” Wilson, Eagle Scout, said. ?It?s much easier because in junior high the teachers were tough. The only hard part of the year is finals week because they cause so much pressure.”

With one high school semester under his belt, Tim DeGroot, ’11, realizes where he needs to improve in the next semester.

“Next semester I?m going to work on some of my study habits,” DeGroot said. “When I find out I have a test, I am going to study in advance.?

According to DeGroot, the best advice for upcoming freshmen is to study and pay attention in class.

“Try to stay on the teachers’ good sides,? DeGroot said. “You should participate in class discusions and study a lot.?

Kitahara stresses the importance of consistent study habits to upcoming freshmen.

?To get good grades you need to keep all of your notes,? Kitahara said, ?and study them constantly.”

For more information about the current freshmen class, read Madison Dooley?s Sept. 5 article Freshman Reveal Fears, see Double decker spirit and Freshmen firsts.