After a nice break from school, the day has finally come that every JHS student has been dreading: the first day back to school from winter break. After opening presents, it is now time to get back to business.
Much like the start of a new school year, the start of second semester signals a new beginning. Tardies and unexcused absences from last semester are forgotten, giving students the perfect opportunity to improve upon those in the upcoming semester.
Grades begin fresh as well. Finals, a high school student’s worst nightmare, have ended and have been put on the backburner for the time being. Odds are that most people won’t even think about finals again until the beginning of May. That being said, the time after finals is the perfect time to get a head start on grades for second semester.
With the new semester, it is possible to drop or change a class without any penalty. To drop a class in your schedule for another class, you have to submit the class change form to Student Services no later than Monday, January 14, 2013. However, it is possible to drop a class for a study hall all the way up until the fifteenth day of the semester without any penalty. After the fifteenth day, the dropped class will be given a grade of “F,” which will impact the student’s GPA and will show up as such on transcripts.
Goals for first semester do not need to be school-related. Many people set a New Year’s Resolution for themselves. Thomas Estabrook, a senior at JHS, said, “My New Year’s Resolution is to continue my Adele-free streak.” He already broke his resolution when he saw the new James Bond movie “Skyfall” at the end of 2012. “I would like to start fresh with my goal this year,” Estabrook added.