By Ronnie Amey, Editor in Chief
The first day of the first semester brings excitement. You may not be all too excited to start the next 10 months of school once again, but you look forward to seeing your friends after a long summer of being away, catching up, and maybe even seeing who’s in your new classes and what teachers you will have for the school year.
If you are a Freshman, you may look forward to your first year of high school, seeing what a bigger and more exciting school can bring: your first rally, your first Spirit Week, and your first Friday Night Lights. If you’re a Sophomore, you may look forward to no longer being a freshman, feeling more active in the school community, and knowing who your friends are. If you’re a Junior, you may look forward to your first prom, finally being an upperclassman, and driving to school. Though if you’re a Junior, you may not prefer either semester.
If you’re a Senior, you’re excited for your last first day, last homecoming, and your last Spirit Week. Even though college apps may be daunting, everything that the first semester holds is what makes up the stereotypical high school experience. How many good movies based at a high school have you seen take place during the second semester?
As the first semester goes on, and you check the school calendar, looking forward to rallies, random days off, and the upcoming Thanksgiving and Winter Break. You know what there is to look forward to every day.
After Winter Break, what is there to look forward to? You enter the same classes as before, knowing who’s in your class, so now the excitement is gone. Maybe the class last semester was exciting, you loved your teacher, and understood what you were learning. Or the class was hard, and homework kept you up until 2:00 a.m. every night while you wondered what it was that you were trying to learn. As you walk back into that same class second semester, you know that the first 5 months of school were barely the beginning.
After what feels like forever, Spring Break finally arrives, but it feels short. Likely, you won’t see all of your friends and family that you saw during Thanksgiving and Winter Break. Maybe you won’t even take the Spring Break vacation since you’re planning one in the summer. When you return to school, you have nothing to tell your friends about. Conversations are dull, made up of talking about how disappointed you may be to be back at school, but at least you have the summer to look forward to.
Crawling to the finish line as finals approach for the second time, you remember the stress they caused you in the first semester. You would think the first semester would prepare you for the second-semester finals, but it only makes it worse. Maybe you feel as if there really is no point; school is going to end soon anyway, your motivation may be lost, or maybe you’re a Senior who’s excited for their last day. Even still, finals are daunting for many students. Your final might be cumulative of everything you learned in the school year, so not only are the tests twice as hard, but you’re also twice as scared.
At Moreau, students can look forward to Culture Week, Night Market, TEDx, and, if you’re an upperclassman, prom. Maybe you play a second-semester sport that you’ve been training for, and are excited to finally get out on the field or court and play. Maybe your birthday is in the second semester this year, and you’re excited to spend it with your friends. Of course, many people may have their own reasons for why they prefer each semester.
First Semester feels like something new is always happening, with constant anticipation for what’s coming next. Second semester, on the other hand, feels like I’m just trying to make it to the end. I get excited for the first day of school. And the first day of summer, but I’ve never felt that same excitement walking back into class after Winter Break. Everyone has their own reasons for liking each semester, but I’ve never really understood why some students prefer the second semester. First Semester simply has more energy, more moments to look forward to, and that’s why it will always be my favorite.
About the Author
