5 Things That Will Help You Succeed In High School

7/8/2019

Jeff Greene

Get the most out of high school and prepare for college by finding your balance and playing to your strengths.

High school is an interesting season of life, isn’t it? It’s the proverbial on-ramp before you’re thrust into adulthood. School counseling teams assist students by guiding them through the college application process and helping with an academic plan, but at CCA we want to prepare students for college and beyond — because there’s a great, big world outside of the classroom. It’s important for students to take opportunities and put in the work to grow spiritually, academically, and socially. So, whether you’re beginning freshman year or senior year, here are a few things students can do to get the most out of their high school experience:

It All Matters Now!
With our world having become an incredibly competitive place, every assignment in every class can contribute to the overall benchmark! Colleges are able to select higher caliber candidates than ever before due to this new reality, so if students are interested in top tier schools, everything they do makes a difference. While that sounds like an enormous pressure, it doesn't necessarily have to be. Finding your own sweet spot should be the objective.
Find Your Sweet Spot
Not everyone is slated to be valedictorian. Likewise, not everyone is designed for ivy league universities. The goal should be discovering who God wants you to be and then directing your steps to optimize your fit. For example, within the STEM track, take all the engineering or biomedical classes you can while participating in a STEM club like robotics, chemistry club, STEM club, or HOSA (and there are numerous other options) helps build awareness in the field as well as boosting confidence in how you fit and flow within the discipline. Consider earning an endorsement to further boost exposure and confidence.
Balance Is Crucial
In a culture with no margins, building margin into our personal and spiritual pursuits becomes a necessity or else academic goals can overshadow and throw you dangerously off balance. Maintaining a focus on your relationship with God is the rudder to further your walk in this world, rather than only being an anchor to hold fast in the storms. Daily quiet times in the Word and in prayer, regular church attendance and fellowship, and service opportunities are critical components of the well-rounded disciple.
Do What You Love
When balance is achieved, adding in one or two key extracurriculars makes the experience more fun and meaningful as well as opens the door to social growth that you would miss without this window. High school athletics, theater, clubs, and outreach programs are available in a myriad of flavors. Try many, but selectively find the fit that God has for you at this stage, knowing that it can change from year to year and even sometimes semester to semester. Many students find an enormous sense of belonging congregating with a specific teacher and peer group in a classroom or lab location at whatever times it is available — before school, lunch, and after school being great socializing times.
Look For Support from Your School Community
And finally, celebrate the joy that is our community at CCA. It is a beautiful safety net that affords us much grace to discover our boundaries and limitations safely and securely. Within this comfort zone identity and confidence can be formed in understanding the specific Imago Dei infused into your uniqueness.

Four years will pass so quickly it will literally make your head spin. Enjoy high school! Breathe this time in before it is a memory.

Jeff Greene has served as an instructor at Calvary Christian Academy for 18 years. He leads the Technology Department and is the STEM Club Sponsor. Jeff is a Wake Forest University alumnus and has been superbly and supremely married to the love of his life for 17 years. They have two children who are both CCA alumni.

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