Life as a Junior

By Grace Litterer

     It’s time. The one I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Junior year has arrived. There’s a lot to say about junior year, much of which is just me, venting about how my year has gone so far, but it holds true. The overall theme of junior has turned out to be: stress. Now, you don’t have to tell me that many of the high school years have turned out to be stressful. I get that. However, this has turned out to be the most stressful by far.
     There’s a lot I could say about my classes, my classmates, etc., but the absolute first thing that I must talk about is prom. Prom has turned out to be the most time-consuming, stressful event that I have ever participated in. At this point, you must be wondering: how could prom be stressful, it isn’t even until the spring. In this, you are correct. However, the junior class gets to partake in a special kind of torment: planning. Yes, as someone who has been told to participate in more things and, simultaneously, someone who avoids all sports where you have to run, I sign up for many of the clubs and committees that are offered. This includes, but is not limited to, prom. Junior year is marked by prom venue meetings, after prom meetings, fundraising, venue tours, theme meetings, and more fundraising. It’s not hard work, but it is something that is exclusive to the junior class.
     Another fun little perk of junior year is testing. Now, everyone has regular school testing: MAPS, Iowa Assessments, Semester tests, and your everyday class exams and quizzes. However, junior year includes all of this and more. It’s like a fun infomercial. “You get all of this, plus three more for free. Yes, you heard it right folks, you’ve got your pSATs, your ACTs, your SATs, and your COMPASS tests, all for free.” That is, of course, the little cherry on top of your stressful, junior year sundae.
     As you’ve probably already guessed, I could go on and on about junior year, the classes, the teachers, the fundraising, etc., but I will save from the sort of rant, right now. Just know that if you ever come across a stressed junior with, and not to exaggerate, 35 homework assignments due, 10 papers to write, and 24 meetings to go to, it’s best if you buy them some ice cream. They probably need some consolation, especially before they start babbling about volunteer hours and college credits. Of course, you don’t want to hear about that now. That’s a story for another time.