Photo Provided by Luna Romero ’28

I’m so grateful for all of the amazing seniors that have been giving me advice these past two years!

Another year has passed and students at Rosary are getting ready for their eventful summers! However, the three-month break also gives time for the students to prepare themselves for the next upcoming school year. The class of 2027 will move onto becoming Seniors and have a year full of lasts. The class of 2028 will become upperclasswomen on Rosary Day and receive little sisters. The class of 2029 will become sophomores, mentoring the new freshman and getting to become Red & Gold captains. The class of 2030 will come to Rosary and get to experience a year full of firsts in high school. Everyone has their own special thing to look forward to in the fall of 2026!

Being in high school is a difficult challenge for everyone, at first. Between balancing school, sports, extracurriculars and a social life it may sometimes feel like you have no idea what to do. That’s why a little guidance and advice from friends and fellow Rosary sisters can make all the difference. So here are some tips to excel during your sophomore year:

1. Don’t procrastinate! Current sophomore Katie Kimble shares, “One piece of advice I would give to rising sophomores would be to never procrastinate.” Whether you have paperwork to turn in or homework that needs to get done, procrastinating is always a bad idea. To help yourself stay focused, I recommend keeping a planner or sticky notes on your laptop with a list of things to get done. It is so easy to fall behind when you don’t have a constant reminder of the things you need to do.
2. Make connections with teachers! In every class it is very important to pay attention, but it is also a good idea to build connections with your teachers. This will make it easier to ask for help when needed and schedule tests/study sessions. Building these close connections with teachers will also help later in your high school career when looking for people to write you college recommendations.

   

3. Study for all your classes! Even if you think you may not need to, you should always study. Using study guides provided by teachers and platforms like Quizlet are the key to success sophomore year. Though, we may sometimes feel like we understand everything on an upcoming test you should still set aside at least thirty minutes to study two nights before your test.
4. Be nice to everyone! Through high school you are going to meet so many wonderful girls. During these next years it is highly recommended to talk to everyone and be friendly with all your classmates and teammates. You never know who you’re going to become close with. On a similar note, Anne Duarte ’28 shares, “Don’t be afraid of things and people changing.” Over the course of your time at Rosary, you are sure to make close connections with all types of girls who you will grow and learn with. Change is a huge part of growing up that is sure to take place during your time together as Royal sisters.
5. Participate as much as possible! Even though your friends or classmates may not want to participate in certain on and off campus events a very important piece of advice is to get involved in as much as you can. From going to all the dances to joining Campus Ministry, Ambassadors or a Pathway there are so many resources to grow your interests. Getting involved now will pay off later for things like college and job applications.

   

6.  Have fun! The last and probably biggest piece of advice for anyone in high school is to have fun and cherish every memory. Take tons of photos and create memories with your Rosary sisters over your time in high school. Maddison Curry ’28 shares the same perspective: “One piece of advice I would give to sophomores is to not stress over the little things.” Sometimes stress is hard to manage with all the chaos around us, but these four years will fly by so remember to also focus on the present. Often, we can get caught up in schoolwork and the future, so I recommend having fun days with friends to ensure school-life balance.

To end, Kendall Koerner ’28 shares a touching piece of advice: “Be yourself, try new things and don’t waste time caring about what everyone thinks. Remember that you don’t need to have it all figured out yet.” These are truly words of wisdom! At Rosary there is so much room to grow, people to meet and new things to experience. Apply this advice to your sophomore year, and make it a great year to be a Royal!