By: Ifrah Daber 

How sweet was 8th grade? You used to be a big fish in a small pond. You were at the top of the food chain, and now? You have been thrown into the ocean with the sharks. Welcome to Freshman Year! The school, the number of classes, the number of students— everything is vast, and now you are forced to swim. But don’t stress yet, because I, your wise upperclassman, am here to help! With my survival guide for freshman year, I will give you tips and tricks to help you get through it, so let’s get to it! 

First, you must understand the difference between quarter and semester grades. Your quarter grade is the sum of your assessments and assignments. Assessments take up 70% of your grade, while assignments take up the other 30%. So each quarter you will get a final grade, and that affects your semester grade. You have four quarters and two semesters (two quarters per semester). So if you get an A in your first quarter and a C in your second quarter, then you will likely get a B as your semester grade. Simple, right? Well, your grades determine your GPA, and depending on that, they will give you a number between 0 and 4. 0.0 GPA means you have done zero work, getting Fs across the board, and the numbers go up, representing the letter grades. 3.0 GPA means you get mostly B’s, and 4.0 means mostly A’s. I know that all sounds extremely boring, but it’s important to know. 

I could go on for many pages, but who wants to read that? Plus, there is more to school than work. One of the joys of attending a high school like Jeff’s is the number of clubs they offer. From my experience as a young freshman, my biggest problem was just being too scared to join clubs or not knowing where they were. The latter is easier to solve since a lot of clubs promote themselves on the pride slides. These are slides that should be shown to you during impact, but just in case your teachers don’t show them, don’t panic. A lot of clubs also promote themselves during morning announcements. So in the morning after the pledge, you will hear about all the essential information for the day. Also keep in mind how clubs will greatly affect your schedule. High school is the perfect time to branch out and try new things. So don’t miss out on the new opportunities that Jeff High has to offer!

Freshman year can feel overwhelming. It may feel like it will never end, but it’s shorter than you think. Many have survived the torture of freshman year, and so will you. I have put together a list of advice from different groups of people, including graduates, mental health specialists, and upperclassmen. 

The first list of advice is from your upperclassmen; some of them have been kind enough to pass down their logic to you. 

1. Don’t Date Upperclassmen. Just remember the classic rule! If the grades don’t touch, neither should you. 

2. Develop Good Study Habits. You have a decent amount of work to do and tests to complete. So developing a solid study habit now can help you in the future. If you don’t wanna fail, STUDY! STUDY! STUDY! 

3. Don’t Stand In Big Groups. It may seem like no big deal, but once you have experienced the stress of rushing to class only to end up being blocked by a sea of kids moving as fast as morning traffic, you will understand the frustration. You try to go left, you try to go right, but alas, there is no way around them. It’s annoying; If needed try to stay near the sides. don’t be those kids; no one likes traffic. 

4. Stay Caught Up! You get a lot of schoolwork during the school year, so it’s a pain for both you and your teachers to have a lot of missing assignments. So make sure to stay caught up! 

The second list of advice is from a mental health specialist; high school is a hard time for most people mentally. It is hard for a lot of people to deal with the stresses of school, so here is some advice and some resources for you. 

1. Develop a Routine With Your Mental Health In Mind. Just like your study habits, your mental health needs routine; doing certain activities every week or day can help with this. Either exercise, meditate, or do anything that works for you.

2. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help! Whether it’s schoolwork or something more personal, don’t stop yourself from getting help if you need it. I have added some mental health resources at the end of the article in case you ever need someone safe to reach out to. 

The third list of advice is given by previous students, long past their freshman year. These graduates were kind enough to take their years of wisdom and pass it down to you, naive young folk. 

1. Figure Out Your Interest. High school is a great opportunity to explore your interests with a sense of security because you are likely not paying for them. So try new things; don’t be afraid to explore your interests. One of the joys of attending a high school like Jeff’s is the number of clubs they offer. From chess to archery, Jeff is filled with different opportunities to broaden your horizons. 

2. Don’t Go Exploring The Hallways During Passing Periods.You only have five minutes in the hallway. Don’t waste it on unnecessary exploration. You ain’t Dora the Explorer, so just go to class. 

Well that is all I have for you. I wish you the best of luck in your journey of discovery and hope you have a fun and exhilarating freshman year. 

Mental Health Resources: 

Suicide and Crisis Helpline: 1-800-784-2433 

National Eating Disorder Association: 1-800-931-2237 

For LGBTQ Youth: TrevorLifeline at 1-866-488-7386, TrevorText -Text START to 678-678 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Referral Helpline: 1-877-726-4727

By. Juan Carrillo, Lola Mays, Wesley Lanham, Rhianna Ledbetter

Getting your first job is something all parents and guardians dread, but it’s also  something teenagers can’t wait for. Getting a job means you gain more responsibility and freedom, but there are so many questions one might have about picking that one special place to work: How much do they pay? How do I apply? What’s the work like? In this, we will be discussing answers to all of these questions, as well as some tips for that first day on the job! 

Some may say it is bad for teenagers to get a job because it could add stress to the ever changing balance of school and social life. Having to balance school, work, and other activities builds your resume and helps one to develop time management skills. Speaking of resumes, that might be one thing you need for that first job. Most places hiring highschool aged people don’t require a resume, but it might be wise to offer one to show previous credentials. Points that you can add to your resume include the sports you play, hobbies, or extracurriculars. Employers like to see what you have to offer, so having a resume can show them your character and teamwork skills. 

Applying for a job may sound daunting but it’s a lot easier than you would think. A lot of businesses have online applications that you can fill out by looking up the website or by typing certain keywords into your browser. For example, if you wanted to work at a pizza place in Jeffersonville, Indiana you could type, “Pizza place hiring in Jeffersonville, IN”. You can also ask for an application in person, just by asking an employee if their job is hiring; the worst they can say is no.

One location that is perfect for a first job is Chick-fil-A, typically they begin hiring at 16 years old. The Hyphen interviewed a tenth grader who goes to JHS about her experience working there. “I like my job most of the time, customers and co-workers can be exhausting and not worth it, but it can be said the same vice versa.” The pay may vary based on location, experience, and age. That is why we recommend asking your interviewer about wages like how often you will get paid and what your pay will be. A majority of employers pay every two weeks, but some pay once a week or by the shift as well. 

Another local employer is Stone Cold Creamery, an ice cream shop located near Kroger on Tenth Street. They hire aged 16 and up. We interviewed a few students who said the hours can be demanding at times, and would not recommend working there if you are focused on school but that doesn’t take away from the friendly environment. The employee also said “It’s chill and I love basically playing Papa’s Freezeria in real life.”

Other businesses hiring 16-year-olds around Jeffersonville are Kroger, Meijer, and Rural King. These are great options if you are looking for a retail position, and if you like talking to people and enjoy walking around this job might be for you. In most cases, you will be stocking shelves and helping people with their questions. Some days you might be in different departments or working the cash register. Their paying range is around $12-16 depending on the location.

Other things you will need to know while entering the workforce is how income taxes, state and federal, will affect your paychecks. It is also important to know your rights at your job to make sure you are not being taken advantage of by your employer. Depending on your age you can only work a certain amount of hours a week. Make sure to do your proper research about federal and state labor laws concerning minors before you get a job.

Getting a job is something that can bring responsibility to any teenager. It’s part of becoming who you are and shaping your life. It’s always necessary to make sure you’re going through the correct steps of applying for a job. It is also important to have someone who is experienced to check things over on your application like your grammar and spelling and the correct information you want to be known. We hope you take in consideration the considerable amount of jobs in our article and get inspired to try to make some money.

Written By: Nathaniel Edwards

(Pictured Above: Kaydee Merrifield)

An integral part of childhood development is the knowledge and skills acquired in middle school. In elementary school, you are exposed to a small group of students, separated heavily by the grade you are a part of. However, once you hit middle school, not only are you exposed to students from various elementary schools in your district, but students in all grade levels interact with each other. This melting pot creates an environment that forces students to interact with one another, and create the social skills necessary for the real world. This integral part of development was shattered in 2020. Desks began to spread, masks blocked faces, interaction was minimized. The freshman in 2022, the class of 2026, were stripped of their entire middle school experience. For Kaydee Merrifield, this has created an issue in her freshman experience.

Kaydee Merrifield is part of the class of 2026 and a former River Valley Middle School student. For her, the Covid-19 pandemic has halted her social skills and academic knowledge. Covid-19 started, for Kaydee, during her sixth grade year. Everything went online, and she would not be back in school until July of her seventh grade year. Although, coming back to school would not be any more advantageous to these social skills and academic knowledge than staying at home. At lunch, Kaydee expected to be able to make a big group of friends and socialize with them daily, but it became impossible due to the rule of three to four students per table. Class was not much better either; desks were spread so far apart that it was impossible to turn to a neighboring desk to talk or give simple remarks. “I was really crossing my fingers to make more friends in middle school but I did not make as many as I wanted to because I could never get around people.”

Suddenly, Kaydee was a freshman in high school. “Coming to high school, it’s like somehow I got whiplash. Suddenly there’s a lot of stuff.” Everything she grew to know as normal in middle school was now irrelevant. The normal became the standards expected from Freshman three years ago. Teachers expecting these standards is detrimental to the success of the Freshman class. “My math teacher expects us to know certain things, but I didn’t get a chance to learn them.” It is not just math that has this expectation, it is almost every Freshman class. Kaydee was never a science person, but her Biology Honors instructor expects so much from her class that she is now getting constant C’s. This pressure for reaching an academic level that you did not build to efficiently is suffocating individuals’ mental health.

“I definitely became less social during Covid. I like talking to people; it takes me an hour to leave a party because I keep getting stuck in different conversations. Now, it takes me a lot longer to even introduce myself to people.” It is intimidating to come to a brand new school where you get to interact with a large assortment of people, but given that you could not socialize consistently with your own middle school classmates, Freshman year is that much more difficult.

Kaydee Merrifield has to pick up the pieces she was not taught quickly, but she is doing it successfully. She is making tons of new friends, and she has established a wonderful relationship with a new friend group. Although this year will be difficult, she continues to show that it is possible to make this situation work. All Class of 2026 Freshman are struggling with their academics and socialization, but as the year progresses, we hope all Freshman can work as hard as Kaydee Merrifield is.