How To Do Well In High School

Get here!  Attendance is half the battle.  Students who attend regularly get significantly better grades.  Students should come to school every day they are not in the hospital!  And they need to be here on time!

Take challenging courses!  Take the hardest courses you can.  High school has core courses that have a range of difficulty.  Don’t seek classes to rest in.  Push yourself.  You will only get out of it, what you put into it.  (Heard that before?) 

Work hard!  Top grades are not magically given to some students as a birthright.  Most high achieving students get their grades “the old fashioned way.  They earn them!”  You will only get out of it, what you put into it.  (Heard that before?) 

Work Smart!  Get organized.  Take good notes in class.  Make a homework schedule and stick to it.  Make a study place at home where you will not be disturbed while you work.  Turn off the TV.  Turn down or off the radio. 

Get involved!  Clubs on campus are a great way to get into school life.  There are at least sixteen chartered clubs at Hilo High ranging from Art & Photography to Science, Hawaiian to Math League, One to GSA, Key Club to Creative Factors and on. Be active on your campus.  Make school a place of fun and engagement which you look forward to attending rather than a place of boredom in which you have to drag yourself to everyday.  You will only get out of it, what you put into it.  (Heard that before?) 

Get real!  Remember, you can’t do everything.  Prioritize your activities based on what you truly value.  Don’t over-do things.  And keep your extra-curricular activities in perspective!  Too many academically capable students hurt their chances for 4 year college acceptance by focusing too much time and energy on extra-curricular pursuits.  While these activities are great, the number of students who earn scholarships are far less than the number of students who earn academic scholarships.  Also, even if you are a talented in a specific area, if you are not capable of earning admission based on a college’s regular admission policy, you won’t be playing for that school.

Stay out of trouble!  Keep clear of drama.  Don’t listen to rumors.  Definitely do not get into fights.  Stay away from drugs or any other criminal activity. 

Choose your friends wisely!  Stay away from trouble makers.  Choose friends that will help make you better.  Choose the kinds of friends that care enough to tell you when you start going the wrong way and that will help you back to right.  Be a good friend in return.  That’s the Viking way.

What is your plan?  Think about what you do after high school.  Do you want to go to a four year college, a two year college, the Military or go right to work?  Even if you don’t know now, try to learn about and prepare yourself for all four possibilities.  And don’t think you can’t.  Former Hilo High students are attending some of the best colleges in the nation.  You can to…if you’re willing to do what is necessary to get there.  Speak with your counselor early and often.

First two years!  The majority of students who have trouble graduating or drop out of high school get themselves in a hole early during their freshman and sophomore years.  You can almost guarantee graduation by paying attention and working hard your first two years.  Give yourself two solid academic years and the odds that you will graduate in four are almost 100%. 

That’s it.  Do the things mentioned and you will not only graduate, but you will leave Hilo High with the knowledge to succeed in your chosen pathway.  Remember that graduation is not the only goal.  You have to leave here with the English, Math and other skills necessary to pass the admissions test to college, the Military or job you will want in the future.

GO VIKINGS!