On the positive side of things, I have only two more years until I can graduate and pursue whatever dream I am chasing at that time. However, there are many things about the high school life that keep me grounded and satisfied here. So, seeing as my second year in high school is almost over, now is the perfect time to reflect on all of the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a sophomore.
First, the good. The best thing about being a sophomore is that you are no longer a freshman. Not that there is anything wrong with being a naïve newbie in the school, but it’s definitely nice not having that title anymore. There is a hierarchy between the classes, and while it is very discrete between the other classes, the gap between sophomores and freshmen is quite large. Looking back at the freshmen from the perspective of a higher classman, all of their drama just seems so frivolous. I know that that is not true, because I was in their shoes only last year, but I find it a little hard not to feel that way.
Second, the bad. I have very few complaints about this year, but if I were forced to name one, it would be that it seems to be the most stagnant year. It’s almost like being the middle child of the school. The seniors are all excited to graduate and start their lives, the juniors are making plans for college and the future, the freshmen are starting at a new school, and then there are the sophomores. We can’t call ourselves upperclassmen, and the term “lower classmen” just seems degrading at this point. So, therefore, we are simply the sophomores.
And finally, the ugly. The hardest part of being a sophomore is that you know more people who are graduating. As a freshman, I wasn’t very attached to many people who were leaving. Besides, I had only been at this school for a year, how could I have gotten that close. But this year it is totally different. There are so many people that have become like family to me, especially on color guard. It is going to be hard to see them go, and the team and the school won’t be quite the same without them. However, I am so excited to see what the future has in store for them, and everything that they will accomplish in the coming years. It is hard to imagine that next year; I will be the age I was when I met them!
Ella Thomas is a sophomore at Brookwood High School.
