The media always uses the term, “high school flies by.” I never truly understood that until this moment. First semester went by in a snap, so fast that I am just left stunned. However, I am proud of all the good that came from this first semester in the high school. I completed my first marching band season and through that created many friendships with upperclassmen that I might not have, if it were not for band. I fulfilled a dream that I have had since seventh grade by making the Synergy and Innovation show bands. When I first saw the 2015-2016 show, I knew that I wanted to some how be involved, it was so entertaining to the crowd and put a smile on the sea of faces. When I found my love for band a little there after, I started dreaming of being in the band. This year after the audition music came out, I practiced for long lengths of time each night leading up to the audition date. It took what felt like weeks for the results to be posted and I just felt a fierce sense of accomplishment and relief.

I have started and consistently posted on this column, which is a huge accomplishment in my book. This column gave me a way to share my thoughts and feelings on what is going on in the world. Even though some weeks it is extremely frustrating and stressful I feel it has been a good way to connected with issues in the school and media, and to learn more about our modern day world when I go searching for topics. A Glimpse into the Grey Space was not what I was expecting when I started it column but it has turned into something I am extremely proud of and I pride myself on the accomplishments it has had.

The world was introduced to the surgery of a grape and the term “Let’s get this bread.” However, I was introduced to new ways to view things by the people I have surrounded myself with and the things that I have learned from my teachers.  The semester has been packed with many academic challenges for me, whether it be an essay for English or a speaking final in Spanish. These classes just put a lot on my plate, on top of all the activities I am involved in.  Yet, the most complained about class, among the sophomore class, was World Studies. It was either the test not matching what they taught us or the amount of time given for a project was not enough, however towards the end of semester it started to get better and more bearable as everyone began to adjust to the class. It has caused a lot of commotion throughout the semester, however.

Sad to say it but this semester had a lot of mental breakdowns for me and a lot of my friends. I just found myself not having time to do things that needed to be done, and sometimes when doing things to get them done and not doing them well. Throughout the semester I learned and improved on my time management skills and asked more questions if I was confused in class rather then ignore my confusion and suffer through it. It has helped my work improve greatly and I have less freak outs then I have had in the past. School still results in mental breaks but I think that is also just a side effect of being in high school.

This semester has been a hard one, because I got to experience the meaning of a sharp learning curve and acclimate to the high school environment. I think from now on, or at least this last half of the school year, I will be okay. I just hope I experience everything I want to before graduation in just a few short years.