There are several strategies when figuring out how on earth to survive Redwood High School. Academics, course rigor, Advanced Placement (AP) or honors classes, electives, extracurriculars, attendance and spirit, the list goes on when it comes to navigating Redwood. To me, Redwood evokes The Hunger Games. Competition and problem-solving, with the occasional sweat on the south lawn while hacky-sacking with Dr. Payne, are all components contributing to student life on campus. But one thing is for certain: no experiences are all the same, yet some factors make it slightly easier to survive, though the odds are never really in your favor.
- Know that there is life beyond the 200’s building
High school can be draining, and it can be easy to feel the pressure of an 8:30 a.m. bell ring and the clutter of the hallways. For those unaware, the 100/200’s building is where students take their core curriculum classes and spend most of their time. It took me a long time to realize that my life does not revolve around the hard classes I took in this building or the occasional roughhousing between bored freshmen. If able, taking one to two-hour breaks after school, doing something other than math worksheets, is something I found quite helpful. Whether that’s through exercise, cooking or honestly just a good phone break, can make a difference in distracting yourself from school to focus yourself and what you choose to do.
- Make friends outside of the quad mosh. You can do it, I promise
Friendship is one of the many factors of high school that parents refer to when thinking back on their teenage years. Though times have changed, friendships are either the best thing that happens to you, or adds to the stress of high school. But what’s most important is finding the right people for you, and not following what others think is the right way to make friends. To survive Redwood, you must have people to make fun of the faculty with, so be open to finding friends in class, grades below and meeting someone new. It’s always good to find a friendly face in each class.
- Take at least one class you look forward to (normally this wouldn’t be an AP class, but you’re not ready for that conversation)
Recently, I was taking a survey, and it asked what my top three classes were. I quickly thought of Bark (obviously) and Nonfiction, the prerequisite course offered for students interested in Journalism and Media Studies. It took me a minute to think of the third option, though I ended up picking Independent living because…duh. If I didn’t have any of these classes to balance out the rigorous course my college counselor told me to take or the unspoken expectation to only take hard classes, there would be nothing to look forward to in my eight-hour school day. Find a class that works for you, stick to it and hopefully you will find an ounce of joy in your day.
- Just get through the test (that doesn’t entail skipping, btw)
No one wants to take tests. At least I don’t. But what I have learned after taking numerous tests over the past four years is that all you have to do is get through it. Write something down, hand it in, pray and repeat. Depending on how much studying is done or how effective that may be, there will always be another test, no matter if you fail the current one or not. Do your best and see how your performance played out. It’s how you stay sane while being asked numerous questions by peers and teachers about how well you think you did.
- Enjoy the swim unit?
The ultimate dread I felt when I was first told there was a swim unit in high school still sticks even as a senior. But really, the swim unit now reminds me of what it was like to be an underclassman, utterly drenched in water and chlorine in my Spanish class, feeling like I had just drowned and been reborn. But as I walk past the pool, I seem to reminisce on those days not only in P.E., but as an underclassman. So my tip is: enjoy the awkward and uncomfortable moments you have as an underclassman, because the dread of the swim unit may become fun for your drained junior self and the version of you consumed by senioritis. Savor every moment, even if that means staying in the pool a little longer on the Titanic day.
Redwood may seem impossible to survive at times, but if there is one thing you should take from this, it is that if the several hundred students before you did it, then you can too. There’s certainly no doubt that you are not the only one feeling a sense of impending doom in high school. So make the most of it, but always keep your eyes peeled for any danger ahead (like an occasional bomb threat here and there, who knows).
