As the school year starts, surviving Garfield’s social scene can be a dangerous and difficult task. Luckily, The Messenger has put together some helpful tips specific to every grade!

Freshmen are known for their embarrassing behavior around school. Coming into a large school like Garfield can be intimidating with all the unknown social rules. The need to establish an identity at school must be balanced with not establishing the wrong type of identity. For example, the freshman who crowdsurf at football games will definitely be cherished… by a certain group of people. That being said, sports games in general are a great way to mingle with classmates. Not just football, but basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball and all other sports too! However, lots of freshmen are “bullied” by the upperclassmen, so be very mindful of your actions. Starting with hallway etiquette, a sure way to annoy other students is to walk slowly in the hallways –you will get flat-tired. And while we know that it can be hard to get to the front entrance of the school sometimes, a few extra steps won’t kill you. There is simply no need to bushwhack through that one little “path” at the front of the school. As far as classes go, freshman year is also a great time to take health before you become a sad little senior in the back of the class. And finally, the tried and true relationship advice that always comes in handy: if your grades don’t touch, you don’t touch. 

As a sophomore, you are usually a bit more settled at Garfield. This is a great time to start to explore clubs and other extracurriculars you are interested in. The organization with arguably the most presence at Garfield is POST 84. If you haven’t heard of it, POST is a group of people who go on outdoorsy trips together. If you start to feel the typical POST FOMO, give in, just go on a trip. The trips are a fun way to reconnect with nature and make new nature freak friends. Though, POST does give community service hours, which is something you should start thinking about sophomore year. Another common mistake sophomore year is skipping your advisory to go get Starbucks, which can result in failing advisory. On the other hand, the pinnacle of sophomore year is undoubtedly getting a license. Try not to get posted on poopy parking. Embarrassing! The wonderful thing about sophomore year is you can apply to the Messenger which we highly recommend! And finally, get all your partying out summer before junior year starts. After that it’s time to lock in. 

Junior year is commonly known as the hardest year. A sure way to start the year on the wrong foot is to have a summer fling that just makes one moody on the first day of school and unmotivated. Ditch those flings and get to class before the bell rings! As students prepare for college and try to juggle five APs, it can get difficult. AP Calculus and U.S. History are perfect for those who love long nights of note taking and carrying around mammoth sized textbooks. Calculate the instantaneous rate of change of how fast Nomura’s students are losing their sanity halfway through the semester. 

Seniors! Home stretch of high school, you made it! Senior year is full of bittersweet moments like your last first day of school. Make sure to pose for your family’s yearly first day picture one last time. As FNL season approaches, be on theme for all games, but don’t forget to write those college essays! You’re the  oldest at school now, and that comes with responsibility, so don’t exploit your power and be a cougar. Another thing to be careful of is senioritis. It goes around every year, especially in the second semester, so don’t catch it. Last but not least, when the end of the year comes by, make sure to stop in and say goodbye to all your teachers (or just your favorites).