Well hello again everyone! Hope all is well with you and yours. It’s easy to tell that school is back in full swing with all the hustle and bustle of the streets at 7:45 in the morning. The sun is barely waking up, yet I find myself leaving the house at 7:35 to take my fifth-grade brother to elementary school, then continuing on to the high school along with my ninth-grade sister. (I also have a sixth-grade brother at our middle school, but my mom takes him.) I found it interesting that I learn how to drive . . .  and then I was immediately thrust into the responsibility of morning drop-off. Spiderman’s uncle’s quote could have easily been changed to, “With a great amount of siblings, comes a great amount of carpooling.” But I enjoy it nonetheless. I enjoy our conversations, and as those of you who are also the oldest know, while it can occasionally seem annoying, it is nice to be looked up to. Mornings do get gradually easier, but I must say, I’m not fully re-accustomed to the amount of work.

For many students, senior year is the easiest. I am an anomaly. By the time I graduate this upcoming May, I will have approximately 30 credit hours and will most likely be entering college as a sophomore. This year my schedule includes College Algebra, Advanced English, Dual Credit Government and Dual Credit Economics (which provide both high school and college credit), just to name a few. My intention is to be a pharmacist, so I am also taking a pharmacology class that will qualify me to be a pharmacy technician if I pass my Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam next June. If I decide to pursue pharmacy into college, I will take pre-pharmacy classes while taking several other prerequisites, before going to a College of Pharmacy for another four years.

I think every high school student should be involved in some sort of extracurricular activity. Whether it be athletics, band, choir, art club, engineering, or whatever they enjoy doing. At times it may be difficult to balance priorities, but with some practice, it makes school much more enjoyable. This fall I am playing football for my high school (Frenship). Our team has gotten off to an astounding start! We’re currently 3-0 and have already exceeded many people’s expectations. After losing all 11 starters on defense, we have come together and improved as a unit every week. This past weekend we defeated a team that we hadn’t beaten either of the last two years! It was really exciting to finally win. You know what they say, “Third time’s a charm!”

Another thing I may try to accomplish this fall is to take the ACT for a third time. It can’t hurt to take it and see if I can improve my score one last time. That’s the great thing about it; you can take it as many times as you feel compelled to, and colleges will look at your highest score. I haven’t officially decided if I will take it again or not, but I will look into it. One thing I advise anyone who has yet to take it is, pace yourself. That is very beneficial and will keep you from having to fill in ovals randomly. There are a couple other things I learned the second time around. If you pace yourself you will eliminate the possibility of taking too long on a single question. You aren’t penalized for wrong answers, so make an educated guess if you need to. Lastly, I will look to my source of many of life’s issues . . . “Full House.” (For those of you who know me best know I absolutely LOVE the television show “Full House.”) Above all, remember to relax because “It’s just a test.” Don’t get too caught up in it or you’ll waste time worrying. Sit down, loosen up, and just do the very best you can do and you should be satisfied.

Well, progress reports for our first six weeks are coming out as school continues smoothly. It’s still hard to comprehend that I am a senior. But it is here and it is time to seize every opportunity I have. Hope everyone has a fantastic next couple of weeks, and I’ll be in touch. God Bless!