High school is a great period of growth and development in our lives, with many amazing opportunities and obstacles. Unfortunately, the high school experience has a set of unwritten rules that must be followed in order to make these four years as meaningful as possible. For this reason, I have drafted these 10 do’s and don’ts of high school.

1. Do whatever it takes to prepare yourself for your classes, before all else. As much as high school can be fun, its core purpose is to prepare us for the next step in our lives, be it college, the military, or our careers. If we let our studies lack, we set ourselves up for future failures.

2. Get involved within the Xavier community. The next part to rounding out your high school experience is to extend your education beyond the classroom. Xavier students are blessed with many amazing sports and activities programs. Find something that suits you, be it baseball or robotics, and take the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom.

3. Branch out among your classmates. Every single year at Xavier, I have heard seniors remark that their one regret is not getting to know their classmates sooner. You only have four years with each other, so give each other a chance; you might be surprised who you can be friends with.

4. Make memories. Another thing that seemingly every senior class has said is that the time starts to fly by. Although I never believed it, and even though the days are getting longer, the weeks are getting shorter and the months are speeding past me as I approach graduation. Making memories and doing unique things keeps your mind active and prevents your time from slipping away.

5. Know who has your back. Make as many friends as you can during your time in high school, but realize that only a couple will truly be there for you when you need them. These are the friends who will drive wherever at 3 a.m. to pick you up when your car breaks down. Or listen to you rant about whatever is on your mind. Never lose sight of these friends.

6. Never be someone other than yourself. Trying to press yourself through the mold of someone else will only cause you pain. And as you develop and change in high school, you might find that you don’t belong where you used to. Don’t let anyone keep you where you no longer feel at home. Be yourself, find your place, and thrive where you belong.

7. Don’t be afraid to plan ahead. As much as high school is great, it does not last forever. The last thing you want is to walk across the stage at graduation with no idea what comes next.

8. Don’t worry about the small things. Stress is one of the prime factors that can lead to a poor high school experience. A single bad test grade will not preclude you from your dream school. Use your past failures to motivate your future successes.

9. Don’t wish it away. Everyone moves at their own pace, and some might be called to graduate early, but while you are here, you should take advantage of it. No one will ever regret making the most of their time in high school, but people often regret letting it slip by.

10. Don’t be afraid to let go. Graduation marks the end of one chapter of our lives. Everything that happened in these four years will be behind you, never to be changed. Saying goodbye to the life you’ve grown accustomed to is incredibly hard, but the beauty of the next chapter of our lives cannot exist if we don’t put the past behind us. But like any book, the book of our lives remains with us forever. When nostalgia strikes, there will still be football highlights, jazz band recordings, and relevant memes to remind us of the amazing things that tied together our high school experiences. So grab a fresh page, sharpen your pencil, and begin writing the next chapter of your life.

Keaton Maier 

A&E Editor