First, let me start off by saying that so-called “senioritis” is a very real thing. Finding the effort to pull myself out of my apathetic end-of-high school trance to write this article is much harder than my self-respect cares to admit. That being said, I’d like to get to the point and say that overall, high school has been good to me. I don’t have any life-altering words of wisdom on the subject, but I do know some things that made it a more enjoyable experience for me. These things, of course, are not the only ways to get through high school, and I won’t lie and say that there weren’t road bumps along the way. Rather, I would just like to put my suggestions out the table for you to admire, like an elegant fruit arrangement, and you can choose whatever scrumptious-looking item you like 1. Find something that you like doing and BECOME A NERD ABOUT IT. Embrace your nerdiness and go all out. If you like baseball, go play catch every day, buy iCubs season tickets, and get a tattoo of a baseball diamond on your left calf. It can be anything, but it’s awesome to have something that you’re good or something you know a lot about. The target of your nerdiness can vary with time as well. Often I go through two-week periods in which I have a new obsession, such as early 2000’s pop punk or Minecraft. Knowing a lot about different things also makes you an interesting person. And interesting people are more fun to be around. 2. Keep things in perspective. High school is four years of your life that you will eventually forget almost everything about. Twenty years from now, you’ll only remember things worth remembering. So don’t get bogged down in drama and make sure the memorable things are positive moments. Get involved. Try new things. Things are never innately not fun. They’re not fun because of your attitude. Basically, don’t suck. 3. Actually learn things. It’s not that bad. Again with the attitude thing. Do your homework, study for tests, and know things. And like I said earlier, knowing things is good. We are extremely fortunate to be in a building where knowledge is available in great abundance. You are super lucky; not everyone has the opportunities that you do. You owe it to yourself to make an effort. 4. Join All-Male Drill Team. Just do this one. This sport is a beautiful thing. I’ve noticed something repeating throughout this advice that I’ve been making up, so it must be pretty important: have a good attitude. In fact, you can ignore everything except that and you’ll be just fine. Goodbye, Ames High. It’s been swell.