It is the end of third term, the high schools have come to the junior high, the 9th graders are excited about choosing their classes for the upcoming year, and the rivalry that is started in each student when they are just a little 7th grader is beginning to grow. Soon one of the more common question amongst them will be "Are you going to Layton or Davis?" For some people this will be no big deal. Most of these students friends will being going to the same school as a majority of their friends. They are not worried about the coming rivalry and they are not incredibly sad about leaving Fairfield. However, there are a lot of students who will not be like that. They are excited about going to high school and choosing classes for the upcoming year. They are worried about losing friends to the huge rivalry between the two high schools. I know that feeling. I dealt with it last year.
I have some advice for these students:
1) Do not get so excited for next year that you forget to enjoy the rest of 9th grade. Especially if you have been at Fairfield since 7th grade, this is an end to something that has been part of your life for a while. High school is exciting, yes. The counselors and students and teachers at the high school you are going to are trying to get you excited. It can be a good thing. Just do not let it take over. Let yourself have fun with the rest of junior high and do not think too much about how exciting, frustrating, or even sad high school is going to be. Worrying takes away the fun of it and that is definitely not something you want to regret later on.
2) The rivalry between Davis and Layton is not big enough to ruin friendships. Yes, people from the two schools talk crap about each other. They talk to other people in their school about how the other school is terrible. But when it comes to your friends, a stupid little thing like going to different schools does not matter if they are good friends. You will still talk to them. You will still see them. You may even tease each other about how your school is so much better than theirs, but you will not lose them. You will not never see them again. You can even sit with each other at the Davis vs Layton football game. It happens.
I regret some of how I spent the last term of ninth grade. I was so worried about missing the last day of school (for the National Science Olympiad competition) that in effect I missed a lot more than that. Lunch periods that I could have spent having fun but instead spent trying to figure out a solution to a minor problem, class periods spent worrying about how I only had so many days left when I could have been enjoying thosse final days. Just so many little things that added up to time wasted. It is ok. My 9th grade was not bad. Not remotely. I loved it. I just wish I would have spent a little more time loving it.
3) (And finally) Do not, do not, let drama put dark spots on otherwise awesome memories. Junior high was full of drama for me. Completely full of it. I had friends that were constantly fighting (this was only in 7th and 8th grade) and I made the mistake of making my best friend my boyfriend. So not a good idea. Anyway, back to my point. Drama ruins memories. Do not do it. Tell your friends to knock it off and enjoy the rest of this year.
After 9th grade, everything happens at warp speed. It feels like just a week ago that I had my last day at Fairfield. I remember Mr. T told my english class that this would happen toward the end of last year and I could tell that there were many people who did not believe him. I believed him. He was right. That is one thing that you 9th graders ought to remember. I don't know why, maybe it is only because I expected time to go by so much faster.
High school is great. The beginning of your Sophomore year is as exciting as the rest of it. Just do not live for the future right now. Enjoy your last term of 9th grade. Have fun with it. High school will come whether you are waiting for it impatiently or not.
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