By Sayellor Taylor-Blackstone

   With the rigorous coursework, plethora of extracurricular options and pressure to make friends, coming to Tempe Prep can be difficult. 

   Luckily, there’s experienced students all around to offer help. 

   Lily Waddell, a freshman at Tempe Prep, says that what really helped her is keeping a planner. Organization is key and keeping track of time and assignments is a great way to stay up to date with your classes. 

   She also said you just have to “put in the work and do the best you can do. No one can expect more than your best.” 

   Similarly, sophomore Hazel Hurlbut suggests communicating with your teachers and coaches. She says that each will be understanding of the commitments you are making to both school and sports, and occasionally missing practice to finish an assignment won’t be a stressor as you learn to manage your time.

   Hazel also said that being adventurous when making friends is a really big benefit. She says, “Even if you have a friend group, don’t be afraid to get to know other people.” 

   Junior Kailana Williams said that one of the best ways to make friends is by joining all sorts of extracurriculars. She says that middle school is the time to explore all different kinds of activities, clubs and sports. 

  Kailana also offers two tips on schoolwork: Ask for help and attend peer tutoring. Asking questions and asserting yourself to make sure you can succeed is not something to be embarrassed about. Peer tutoring is not only advantageous for times when the material is trickier. It’s also a great way to battle a lazy mindset when at home vs. being at school. 

   Kailana also encourages sixth graders to ask their teachers for help. 

   Joining extracurriculars is another tip that senior Dayanara Gamez strongly recommends. Dayanara emphasizes the importance of Tempe Prep’s Speech and Debate club for middle schoolers, as it introduces students to other schools where they can make friends and gives them a good foundation for public speaking skills. 

   She adds that it is crucial to just “start with completing assignments even if they are not done well. It is better to turn in something than nothing.” Building this habit now will make the remainder of middle school and high school so much easier. 

   Finally, Dayanara gives one really important piece of advice: your grades don’t define you. Getting your first D on a quiz can feel really big and demotivating but there is always more to improve on, and the effort you put in is the important factor.