Grade 9 is the first year Middle Schoolers become freshmen. High school means more knowledge with possibly less guidance and independence than before. Newsletter reporter, Ray Liao, spoke with his fellow Grade 9 classmate on how the first semester is going so far.
Ray: Today I will be interviewing Chloe, a first-year high school student. Thank you for allowing me to interview you Chloe. So, what do you feel like are your weaknesses in high school?
Chloe: I feel like my math and science subjects are my weaknesses. They are the subjects that pull my grades down.
Ray: Math and science are indeed relatively hard this year. What are your strengths in high school?
Chloe: My strengths are the linguistic subjects, such as Language Arts and Spanish.
Ray: I see. How much free time do you have compared to middle school?
Chloe: I have much less free time because I joined the basketball and badminton teams in DIS.
Ray: You seem to be rather sporty. [Chloe chuckles]. What are your favorite and least favorite subjects, and why?
Chloe: My favorite subject is Art. I can express myself freely and there is no “correct” answer. However, my least favorite subject is geometry. I don’t quite understand what the teacher is explaining, so it makes me frustrated.
Ray: That is rather surprising; I expected your favorite subject to be PE. Moving on, which electives did you choose, and why?
Chloe: I chose Spanish as my foreign language because I think knowing how to speak this language will help me in the future, both during college and at work. I chose art because as stated before, this is the only class where I can express myself freely.
Ray: Gotcha. Now, let’s get into the subject of the Young Shakespeare Competition. The high schoolers’ productions are often much more polished and majestic. Tell me, is there more pressure compared to before?
Chloe: During YSC, I felt more pressure. Every high school class seemed so [focused] and competitive. Me, as a script writer, was always worrying that I would be the one who ruins our play.
Ray: Speaking of the competition, what do you feel about it being a higher level?
Chloe: I actually like being in a zone with a high level of competition. This makes me want to do better and to push myself forward.
Ray: Understood. Let’s talk about academics. Do you have more pressure than before? Can you still handle it?
Chloe: In general, there is more pressure. Everyone is so competitive and this makes me a bit scared. However, I can still handle the pressure.
Ray: How about the teachers? Do they have different attitudes compared to middle school? Also, do you think the curriculum is much more difficult than before?
Chloe: The teachers in middle school and high school have very different attitudes. In middle school, the teachers are only teaching us basic stuff to prepare us for high school. In high school, however, the teachers [are starting to teach] us deeper knowledge and the lessons start getting more difficult.
Ray: I see. What are your biggest challenges in high school? What do you think about APs and GPA?
Chloe: I think the biggest challenge in high school for me is that I don’t know how to study efficiently. As a result, I might not understand something and then receive a bad grade. I am not very familiar with APs and GPAs. I see AP as classes for people who are interested in a subject [and want] to learn more […]. As for GPA, I see it as a score to keep track of how well I’m doing at school.
Ray: I am as well not familiar with these terms. My final question is, what would you like to accomplish, academically or in extracurricular activities, during high school?
Chloe: I would definitely like to find a way to study subjects like math and science more efficiently. Also, I would like to improve my sports skills to be a better player.
Ray: Noted. Thank you, Chloe, for your time, and I hope you have a great day!
