KUWTY7
Keeping up with the year 7’s!
HELLO? REALITY IS CALLING!
Written by Olivia Shani
Sienna Bright (11) is a drama star, dynamic athlete, and a creative character that hopes to one day play a key role in improving the Earth’s sustainability. Sienna has started a fresh new chapter of her life at Uni High as a year 7. Has Uni High and its students lived up to it's stereotypes? And what’s going on inside the lives of the year 7s?
What stereotypes did you hear about high school?
'I am the oldest of my siblings, but my friends had older sisters and brothers and so I kind of knew of some things to expect. But I didn’t really hear too much. Well, I heard [the school] was going to be enormous. And that's right. A lot of people said it was a scary experience in terms of getting around, meeting school expectations, etc.'
Additionally, Sienna seemed to often hear about the typical high school hierarchy and cliques. For instance, the old fashioned nerds, popular girls, fashion gurus and what not. On top of that, us teenagers also seemed to be portrayed as rough and intimidating. Ultimately, the stereotypes passed down depict us high school students as, well, a bunch of stressed and moody kids. Definitely not the best impression.
What is the reality of high school?
'Starting high school was petrifying but very memorable. Uni High is definitely really big, that’s for sure. I’ve already gotten lost a couple of times in the past week. I imagined that there would be sooo many really really tall people walking around too, but there isn’t THAT many I guess. You can get around pretty easily. I’m not really that intimidated by the older kids; I kind of just focus on myself. I LOVE having schedules. There is so much more freedom. It’s much more organized too and that’s great because I’m organized yet spontaneous.' 'I like to know when and where I am, but I still like to get caught up in the moment. I don’t see cliques in high school. I just see people [hanging out] with their friends. I’m quite extroverted, so I've definitely enjoyed meeting new people. Everyone seems connected and genuinely nice, which is great.'
Thankfully Uni High and its students don't seem to be living up to the stereotypes. Uni High only brings reality and new experiences to the table.
What do you hope to achieve this year or in high school or in the future?
'I hope to just try and do my best in everything that I do, especially with schoolwork. My mum’s actually an engineer and teaches mechanical engineering to university students. She is AMAZING at maths, so she’s a great help. I’d probably say my greatest strengths are being independent, yet I can still work really well in a group and take charge when I need to. I am also open minded and interested in new ideas. It’s my dream to work with environmental sustainability; it's an important matter that's being discussed frequently. I’ve grown up in a household where engineering was frequently brought up, so if I go to university, I hope to maybe become an environmental engineer.'
Sienna is a without a doubt excited to be a year 7, and already feels more mature. I hope that she'll make many great memories here at Uni High. -Olivia Shani (author)
TIPS FROM A YEAR 10!
Abbey Kendall.
Organization and Time Management. Being organized makes your [high school] experience so much more enjoyable and easier. Organization [and time management] are amazing skills to have. Time management makes it [especially] much more easier to manage the exam season during the end of the year.
Be yourself around others. Just be yourself. The worst thing you can do is be someone you’re not. I think that with social media it’s really easy to be influenced by trends. Seeing things online can be a bit intimidating and make you feel as though your true self is not who you should be. People [nowadays] have a lot of difficulty finding their sense of individuality. Be yourself, and the right people will come at the right time.
Having some down time is really important. Being organized and disciplined is a great thing, but scheduling some down time is also really important. A balance is crucial. Do some things that you love. The small things can make a difference. Down time is your time. Live life.
Don’t be afraid to get support. I think getting support from teachers or just building relationships with teachers is really amazing. They’re there to help you. Having a network of people is just so important.
Don’t focus on others, but focus on yourself and your own progress. One of the worst things you can do in my opinion, is compare yourself to others. Everyone is at a different stage in their life. You won’t benefit from focusing on someone else. Everyone is trying to find their ‘own way’. You can be inspired by people, but it’s not a race.