STOCKTON– Congratulations Trojans, we are already halfway through the year with officially  79 days left of school.  As exciting as this is, you still have to work extra hard to finish strong by keeping those grades up.  To do this, reflecting on the 2022-2023 school year might benefit you, by seeing what _____ worked for you and what didn’t.  For example, if you weren’t studying that much at home, start 2024 by studying for 15 minutes  each day . If you started this habit today, you will start to see a good change in your grades and academic performance in general. 

Last year, we all probably had some habits that could’ve used some improvement, but we might’ve also had some good ones.  The good habits you may have developed is something you should continue into this year and strengthen.  For example, if one of your habits is playing sports, that’s awesome.  Keep showing up to practice and doing the sport you love but work harder at it than you did last year. 

A new year contains new resolutions and new beginnings. I interviewed three students at Lincoln High School.  I asked one student named Madison Roob, a junior at Lincoln High School, “What are good habits you want to continue for this year? What bad habits are you going to get rid of?” She answered that she would like to stay productive and get more sleep, which are attainable goals and very good ones.  She wants to continue her good habits from last year such as almost getting straight A’s.  But she wants to work on another one by getting more sleep. Which is very important especially during high school. Every year leads us on a different path. Having goals or resolutions can help you get to where you want to be faster. 

Another student, Gabriel Cordero, answered the same questions but had different goals for this year.  Cordero, who is a sophomore at Lincoln High School, responded to the first question by saying that he wants to continue his work process and wants to work on not procrastinating so much this year.  He already has a good routine that works for him, which is a healthy thing to have.  It’s also something to continue for the rest of your life if you have found one that personally works for you.  On the other hand, procrastination is his bad habit that he wants to leave in the year of 2023.  This is a doable goal and will definitely pay off in the long run if the goal gets accomplished.  Other people’s goals might be similar as well, which is an even greater benefit because if someone has the same goal as you, you guys can keep each other in check.  Many high school students have the habit of procrastination and may also want to work on this habit. Either way Madison Roob and Gabriel Cordero provide examples of good habits to start the year of 2024 with while having bad habits to leave behind in 2023.  Keep your good habits and leave your bad ones in 2023 to work on them in this new year of 2024.

Last semester concluded a great year filled with many joyful memories for many Trojans.  But, the new semester is here and ready to be conquered with new goals and healthy habits to better ourselves and our futures.  Goals and resolutions have been around for awhile, serving as guidelines or motivation on living life.  If you take the time to personally reflect and compare last semester to this semester, seeing what you can keep or change, it will benefit you in so many ways.  All things considered a new year have just started, meaning new doors are opening, and new opportunities are going to be presented.