Hello new sophomores. How does it feel to be on the bottom rung again after middle school?  Well perhaps my advice can alleviate some of that emotional pain. You have just finished your first marking period here and you are probably getting a feel for the place; however, South has many unwritten rules (maybe they are written, I don’t actually know since we don’t have student handbooks in the planner this year) which allow things to run smoothly between all grades.

Here you are always “beat.” I do not know the origin of or the logical explanation for why sophomores are made “beat.” What I, only one year removed from your very position, do know is that the transformative process occurs during the summer in between 9^th and 10^th grade and shows no outward or inward signs of metamorphosis. However, if you do show outward signs of metamorphosis I suggest you consult your doctor (or your veterinarian?) to see if you’re actually a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Regardless, the name is harmless, and I suggest you wait your turn until you become upperclassmen and you can sling at the incoming sophomores with reckless abandon.

Foot traffic in the school can range from a mild nuisance to downright intolerable. Most of this occurs in the main hallway, especially in the intersection between the main hallway and the main staircase. To decrease or avoid the massive blockage that inevitably occurs, take the side staircases to your classes. This could be especially helpful to you some of you smaller, weaker sophomores who have a higher tendency to get swept up in the mob and trampled underfoot (I’ve seen it happen man).

In addition to taking the side staircases, your walking patterns are affected at a much higher frequency than in middle school due to the size of the school and that usually one of your classes changes per marking period. To combat this, find more efficient routes to your daily classes in advance because that extra minute spent walking is a minute you lose of your life and that adds up. Some scientists have calculated that you can lose as many as 10 years of your life from walking to your classrooms over the span of your high school career. While you’re at you should find the air duct routes for even more efficient travel and the blind spots in the cameras just for funsies!

“Get involved.” This mantra was most likely uttered many times at your middle school but now is where it really counts. High school’s what you make it, and you don’t want to see it pass you by. South is your oyster and you have to give 110% to reach the stars and march to the beat of your own drum. Personally I marched my beat all the way to the cliché making club, but I don’t think it has made all that much of an impact. In all seriousness, though, South has just about any club, sport, or service opportunity that you could ask for. And if there isn’t you could always ask for it and make your own club.

I hope that this feeble attempt at humor provided some information and some ideas to you sophomores, and I wish you a great first year at South (In the second one you can do whatever you want with it, and in the third I won’t be here so I don’t care.)