Ever since we stepped through the front doors on the first day of this school year, the halls of H.J. have been bright, bustling, and buzzing with excitement. Never has the start of a school year looked so promising - we have bold academic goals, auspicious athletic teams, a talent-packed artistic department, and more extracurricular opportunities than we can count. Our football season has already begun, and our outstanding team has had nothing but wins so far, a trend that we hope continues for a long time to come. Volleyball tryouts have also commenced, and from what I’ve seen, H.J. is going to be putting up some serious competition this year. Also coming up on the agenda is our school play, “Almost, Maine”, which will be stage-ready by late November. We even have a brand-new art club added to our extensive extracurricular list this year, in addition to drama club, travel club, Interact club, yearbook club, archery club, trivia club, geek club, the writer’s guild, and choir, to name a few. I even created my own lunchtime extracurricular this year - French club! On top of the stacks of school spirit all these activities create, H.J. Cody has a School Council for the first time, which is in charge of bringing Laker pride to the max. If you are looking for the ultimate high school experience, H.J. Cody is the place to be.
There is one more exciting event happening this year, and about a quarter of the students of H.J. just can’t seem to stop talking about it. In only eight short months, the graduating class of 2019 - myself included - will be walking the stage to receive our high school diplomas. The date has been set for May 25, and preparations are already underway. Everyone is swept up with grad fever; grad committee forms are piling up, dresses are flying off the racks, and credits are being counted and re-counted again. Graduation is on the forefront of all the Grade 12’s minds, and everyone is eager to get involved. Many students are seizing the opportunity to share their voices and help make our grad special by signing up for grad committee, as well as grad history and yearbook. Grad committee will be putting on a number of fundraisers throughout the school year, so keep a lookout for opportunities to support them. In my personal experience, you simply can’t go wrong with any of the delicious treats from the grad bake sales, so don’t miss out! Furthermore, the girls of the graduating class have created a Facebook group where we have been sharing photos of our dresses, so no one buys the same one as anyone else, and grad fashion fiascos are avoided. It’s never too early to go dress shopping or book appointments - don’t leave it until it’s too late!
Senior year is incredibly fun and exciting, but it is an incredibly important year as well. The time has come for us to not only choose our life plans, but to begin working to achieve them. Whether it’s by keeping our grades up so we can be accepted into post-secondary, counting our volunteer hours for scholarship applications, or simply earning enough credits to graduate into the workforce, we need to work hard to make our plans for post-graduation a reality. Career decision-making and university applications can be frightening, but finding a good balance of work and play will make this year an effective yet memorable one.
Regardless of what grade you’re in, if you’re a student at H.J. Cody, your year is going to be a great one. Take advantage of all we have to offer - find something you love, or even try something new! This year, remember to work hard, get involved, and of course, be proud to be a Laker.