As we prepare to graduate and enter the real world, the seniors of the Charger staff have been reflecting on our time in high school and all the wisdom we’ve gathered over the last four years. As a service to the next generation, we’ve made a list of advice for future students, teachers, parents, and administrators on how to make high school go as smoothly as possible.
Stay in your lane
There’s nothing more annoying than running late to class and running into a large group of underclassmen who don’t know what they’re doing. Similar to traffic flow —going up and down the stairs or through the hallway — you should be on the right side. No one thinks you’re cool for taking up all that space and walking slowly. In fact, you deserve to be trampled by hurried seniors.
Don’t join every club
There are a lot of clubs available at WHS, which is nice and allows for lots of exploring, but clubs also come with dues and lots of time commitment, especially if you are an officer. Try not to get in too deep with too many clubs. By the time you reach the end of high school, really commit to the things that are important. Don’t feel like you need to say yes to everything.
Pick your battles in friendships and relationships
A friendship shouldn’t be a part-time job. If you’re close with someone, you are, and if you’re not… don’t force it. Focus on your craft, whether that be schoolwork, a club, or a sport. Your true friends will be there in good time.
Don’t use the elevator unless you’re broken
The WHS elevator is in very poor condition and sometimes it does not work. There is no reason to risk getting stuck or hurt because you are too lazy to take the stairs. It is also annoying for a person who needs to use the elevator to have to wait for someone at a different floor. We have three floors — it’s not too much to walk up them a couple of times a day.
Please take a shower
For the love of all that is holy, wash yourself. At home, after PE, after using the restroom, all the time. Please. Mr. Praeger’s classroom is always RANK at the end of the day because some of you little goblins do not understand the concept of soap or even deodorant. Having extreme body odor is a surefire way to make everyone dislike you.
Park carefully
Be careful in the parking lot — no one wants to have the cops called because someone isn’t paying attention. We don’t have official parking spots but don’t be a jerk about it. When driving around in the parking lot, even though the layout is stupid and the concrete is terrible, pay attention to other people. You’ll cause a scene in front of everyone and hold up all the cars. Also, make sure your cars are locked and I shouldn’t have to say this but… TAKE YOUR KEYS OUT OF YOUR CAR!
Do at least the bare minimum
Having trouble in class? Just turn in your homework — you’ll likely pass as long as you do that. Most of the teachers will give you more points if you turn in work unfinished than if you just don’t turn it in. Communicating with your teacher will also go a long way. Don’t
The stuff you post online stays there forever
Everything you post will be seen by more people than you realize and will stick around for a very long time. Be careful about what you put online, especially pictures. There are ways to retrieve photos that have been deleted so just think about what you want out there. You might want to run for president someday.
Parents, let your children fight their own battles.
Parents, we know that it is often very hard for you to let go and allow your kids to fight their own battles, but it is an important skill for us to learn. If you are always immediately trying to fix our problems we won’t be able to handle solving them ourselves in the future. There are some cases of course where we will need help, but maybe try to wait until we have had time to work on it ourselves and ask you for it.
Vote yes for the bond
This place is in bad shape. We’re leaving, so this isn’t coming from selfishness. Ask anyone who comes here every day — the building is falling apart and it’s affecting our educational environment.
Teachers, don’t cram stuff in at the end of the semester.
We know that snow days and sports events happen and classes can get behind over the course of the semester. Things happen and it’s nothing to be ashamed of, but once we get to that last week or two of school, we should be nearing review time — not stuffing in three more chapters. It’s not just seniors that have started to check out at that point, but all students. So it might be tempting to try to get a little farther, but we promise you we aren’t absorbing any of it. That doesn’t mean you need to close up shop, just have realistic expectations for what you can achieve at the end.
— seniors Emma Alderman, Justin Carlson, Eli McDaniel, Mayah Mumpower and Lauren Schutter
Pictured above: The Fall 2021 Charger staff. From left: Jackson Havenstein, Emma Alderman, Justin Carlson, Lauren Schutter, junior AJ Grutsch, Maya Mumpower, Eli McDaniel.
The Charger 
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