Dear Sophomores,

Congratulations on surviving your first year and a half of high school! Personally, I think that sophomore year is the most enjoyable because you don’t have the nerves from freshman year, and you don’t feel the pressure of SATs or college yet.

Even though you have one year of high school under your belt, don’t feel like you can’t join new sports or clubs. Before high school, I played volleyball for six years. I made the team my freshman year and had a lot of fun, but I realized that I didn’t have the passion, and my heart wasn’t in it anymore. I always thought I would play volleyball all throughout my high school career, so it was hard for me to stop playing. I still wanted to play a fall sport, and I decided to go out for the golf team because I had played with my dad ever since I was young. I was worried that everyone on the team would already have established relationships during freshmen year, and I thought that I would be left out and not have any friends on the team. My fears almost stopped me from trying out, but I decided to go out for the team anyway because I loved the sport. I ended up playing varsity golf for the past three years, and it was one of the best decisions I have made in high school. The coaches and players were very welcoming, and some of my best friends now are the girls that are on the team, too. Take it from my experience–join any club or sport that you are passionate about. You will find friends wherever you go, and the activities will make high school more fun and give you something to look forward to after a long day of tests and classwork.

Enjoy this year, and make the most out of every opportunity presented to you. High school will fly by, and you want to look back on your four years at West knowing that you didn’t let any opportunity pass you by. Study hard, but have fun too! Good luck with all your endeavors at West.

All the best,
Allison Hullinger