As the Ipswich High School senior class of 2010, we consider you to be our protégés.  Because we want you to succeed in high school, and later in life.  We have come up with some words of advice for you in order to help you make your high school experience, or what is left of it, as enjoyable as possible.  As famous writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “You send your child to the schoolmaster, but 'tis the schoolboys who educate him.”  Our plan is to help make it so you are positively taught by your peers.  High school is when you really begin to elicit who you are as a person, and we want you to be the best you can be, however cliché that is. 

            Freshmen:  you are the babies of the school. You probably are sick of all the jeers and taunting you receive because of the tradition of high school initiation.  However, if you are in the right mindset, this part of your life can work out to your advantage.  You see, as a high school freshman, you are now the “lowest of the low”, so to speak.  You are the youngest and least mature class, a big transition from being the oldest, most prestigious in eighth grade.  Those who “initiate” you are really just putting you in your place and preventing you from causing drama and making fools of yourselves.  Really, all that your peers are trying to do is eliminate your middle school mindset, and help you transition into the more mature, high school mindset. 

    Some people, however, are just rude, which is unfortunate.  If you encounter one of these losers, do not let their words or actions get to you.  If an older classmate approaches you, see what they want.  Should they begin to harass you, there are many ways you can handle it:  You can walk away, zone them out, yell for help, or fight back.  Fighting back, however, is not recommended.  Walking away and zoning them out are the best things for you to do.  This way, your self-esteem is not damaged or badgered and you show the person that their tormenting is not going to work on you.  This most likely will lead to the person leaving you alone for good and you are free to enjoy the rest of your day.  There are some older kids, though, that will step up and help you out if you need it.  These people are the ones who you want to make your friends. 

    Sophomores:  you’re almost half way done.  As the second youngest class, you are pretty much ignored for the most part.  People are done teasing you for being freshmen and you mind your place in the food chain, for the most part.  We respect that.  However, some of you still seem to be stuck in your middle school days.  We have noticed that drama infests your class like a parasite, and frankly, we do not appreciate it.  Your petty drama – talking behind each others’ backs, taking small issues too seriously, and even bragging about your personal lives as if everyone really cares – is polluting our school.  You could seriously benefit from not taking yourselves as seriously and being your own people.  Do not do things just to get in with the older kids or the cooler kids; be yourself.  This is a lesson that will take you a while to learn, but you will get it; I promise.

    Juniors:  you’re almost there.  You are almost out of here and you have done a great job.  However, many of you seem to think you’re already seniors.  A good chunk of you prance around, making a raucous and trying to get attention, and what you are really doing is making fools of yourselves.  Please, do yourselves a favor and save the unnecessary self-worth for next year.  Sure, you may hang out with seniors and older kids, but you aren’t there yet. 

    All of this advice comes from the heart because we want you all to be happy in school and in life.  Individual seniors have come up with some tips for you to follow in order to make this happen:

“Know your place.” – Evan Petto

“Never take yourself too seriously.  If you do, you’re just going to get hurt in the long run.”

“Everyone has their own problems.  Don’t let yours define who you are, and take into consideration that other people have them too.” – Amanda Gilbert

“Do your homework.  Trust me, it’s worth it.”

“Do whatever it takes to make yourself happy.”

“Smile a lot.  It makes your day better and other peoples’ days better, too.” – Hayley Martin

“Don’t just take classes to get an easy A.  Make your time here useful; it’s your life.” – Alex Knudsen

“Don’t talk about other people.  It just causes drama and stress.  It’s not worth it and people lose respect for you.”

            We hope you take our advice into consideration when living your lives both in and out of school.  We want what is best for you and we are more experienced; so trust us.  Also, don’t forget, hearing something doesn’t make it true and seeing something doesn’t mean you’re entitled to tell everyone you know and be nice to everyone because you never know who is going to end up being your boss some day.

 
                                                                                                                                         Love,

                                                                                                                                 The Seniors of 2010.