After getting their first year of high school under their belts, the freshmen have a much better idea of what to expect from the rest of their time at BV. As they prepare for their sophomore year, they have plenty of advice for current eighth graders, who will be in their place next year.

Carter Moser
Is high school what you expected it to be?
“Yes and no. It was all bigger and more fun than I thought, but it was also harder to keep up with everything. The extracurriculars are awesome, and track is a lot harder, but also more fun.”
What surprised you most about BV?
“Probably the amount of work it takes.”
What was your favorite memory this year?
“You don’t realize how easy middle school is until you get to high school and really work. It is either closing night of Newsies, or getting first place for the freshman mile. Or show choir champs.”
Any advice for next year’s freshmen?
“Work hard and don’t slack off. You have a year left.”

Easton Petersen
Is high school what you expected it to be?
“Yeah, it’s hit my expectations.”
What surprised you most about BV?
“How many people show up to the football games. It’s crazy.”
What was your favorite memory this year?
“Playing in the antdac stadium with the soccer team.”
Any advice for next year’s freshmen?
“Try not to look like idiots.”

Mason Bedell
Is high school what you expected it to be?
“Not really, [I] expected to be more overwhelmed.”
What surprised you most about BV?
“It was pretty similar to PSMS, besides grades mixing in classes. The fact that I had full control over ALL my classes [too].”
What was your favorite memory this year?
“Getting to join and run in cross country.”
Any advice for next year’s freshmen?
“Stay on top of homework, and study when you need to. And have good relations with teachers, for easier grading and due date leniency.”

Charlie Buckley
Is high school what you expected it to be?
“No, not really. My view of it mainly came from movies, so i expected it to be like that. In reality, it’s just harder classes.”
What surprised you most about BV?
“The policies in place like no bullying and stuff like that. The positivity factor shows a lot, i like the inspirational messages around the school. Also, all the extracurricular activities and the places in the building, like the pool. It’s crazy how much stuff we have at our disposal.”
What was your favorite memory this year?
“I liked doing after school activities and hanging out with friends, or seeing the cringe assemblies. Also doing assignments that took a while, like my Honors Biology paper, [weren’t] forgettable. Overall, I think spending time with friends and having fun at school has been my favorite memory.”
Any advice for next year’s freshmen?
“Take fun classes and don’t try to over-stress yourself with loads of honors classes. Take it slow and try to get credits, but you’ll be able to get them later. Think about what classes you want to take and generally take it slow.”

Isabelle Liekhus
Is high school what you expected it to be?
“I expected it to be super strict and scary, but It’s actually a lot more fun and not as stressful as I thought.”
What surprised you most about BV?
“Being able to have a lot of freedom in where to go during AST and lunch, and having phones out during those times.”
What was your favorite memory this year?
“Show choir rehearsals and performances were really fun this year, and getting to travel with choir for spring break.”
Any advice for next year’s freshmen?
“Join the activities you really want to. Don’t hold back on it because you will really miss out on meeting great people.”

Benjamin Werner
Is high school what you expected it to be?
“No, because i thought it was gonna be like that stereotype of bullies and nerds and school locker notes and stuff like that.“
What surprised you most about BV?
“There was a lot to choose from and it was scary at first, but nothing’s open as a freshmen. And AP classes [were] a surprise.”
What was your favorite memory this year?
“i remember scream-singing All Too Well at the top of the bleachers at a football game at BV. Beginning of year silly things.”
Any advice for next year’s freshmen?
“KEEP IN MIND [the lessons I’ve learned because of school]:

• Sleep, even if you don’t think you are tired, get a minimum of 7 hours every night.
• Crunch time. When you are working on an assignment last minute, you don’t have time to do other things, such as Snapchat.
• Free time, if you have free time, should be used to study. Always watch out for tests and other in-class things you should prepare for. However, make time for yourself WHEN AVAILABLE!! Try hard not to burn out.
• Work, social media, sleep, etc. — They should all be kept separate. They shouldn’t overlap areas because losing focus of your end goal will poison the process.
• AP classes/honors — Do not underestimate the workload because [at] some points it will be rigorous, [and] other times it will be a breeze.
• Procrastination goes two ways. 1) If something is hard and you procrastinate it, it will be done last minute. Your mind will fall into a trap that you’ll do it later and not worry about it until it’s too late. 2) If the assignment is due weeks or days from the day the teacher brought it up, work on it as soon as possible. Get it out of the way so that you can use that time to focus on other things or have more time for sleep. Bonus: you pretend that the assignment is due earlier and move your deadline so that you do it earlier.
• Phone — can be a tool or a weapon against your learning and toxic to your sleep and sleep schedule. Enough said, really.
• Multiple submissions — If you make a mistake, a good percent of the time you can submit again. Don’t fret, especially if it is before the due date. You have extra time to correct errors and resubmit.
• Rushing — Do the assignment quickly but thoughtfully and carefully. Can you explain everything you wrote about? Does it make sense?
• Help — Don’t be afraid to ask for help after you already looked for the answer and can’t find it. Help from a peer or a teacher is the next best option.
• To-Do List — Keep track of assignments by using free resources that allow you to make to-do lists, such as Google Docs or Todoist. along with an agenda because those normally come with a calendar.
• Keep up and on track; don’t fall behind. Look ahead on assignments, tests, and discussions in class if possible. This can be accessed by using the calendar tool in Canvas or by looking at the provided teacher agenda.
• Friends — Make time for your friends because they are here for you, just like you should be there for them (kind of unspoken).
• Hardships — Overall, high school is hard. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Don’t get burnt out. Don’t lose sight of your goals with distractions.”