Students reflect on the start of the school year and share how they ended it
By Ila Rees and Avery Josephs
A lot can happen over the course of a year, and as the 2021-2022 school year comes to an end, students reflect on how they have changed throughout this year when it comes to their academics. Many students notice that during the second semester of school, their motivation has started to go downhill, as they have started to burn out.
Frosh
Beginning at AWHS for the first time during the pandemic, freshman Serafina Kirk DiGiorgio believes that at the beginning of the year wearing masks made students much more disconnected.
“As soon as the masks came off I started to have a lot more connections with people and I got to know different people better. At the start of the year, not being able to see each other's faces made me feel disconnected and it was a weird thing to experience but thankfully closer to the end of the year that changed,” Serafina said.
Another change throughout the course of freshman year for Serafina has been her sport, mirroring other students who have experienced a change in interests. Serafina was originally interested in doing ballet just as a hobby, as she practiced often. Her commitment to ballet has faltered and Serafina is no longer interested in doing it for next year.
“I would say that my motivation at the beginning of the year was I was ready to be organized, and practice ballet but now that we've gotten closer to the end of the year, the less I try. At the beginning of the school year, I was super committed to doing ballet and practicing it but now I will no longer be doing it next year so I would consider that a big change,” Serafina said.
Sophomore
Sophomore Audrey Poster feels that over the course of the year, her motivation to be productive with schoolwork has started to decrease, primarily because she has started to focus more on some of her extracurricular activities, like playing on the Varsity girls lacrosse team.
“If anything I feel like this year I have learned more about my hobbies and sports and less about my schoolwork. Like with lacrosse, I started putting more time and effort into that and stopped putting that towards school as much,” Audrey said.
Audrey noticed that towards the beginning of the school year, she was much more excited to learn and to do her work, but as the year progressed she felt her motivation decrease. She also experienced a greater struggle than expected balancing academics with sports.
“I used to think that being a student-athlete wasn’t that big of a deal, but recently I have started to see and feel the stress and the pressure, and have realized it’s actually really hard to be a good athlete and a good student,” Audrey said.
Sophomores, get ready for junior year. It's a doozy.
Junior
Junior Owen Carroll believes that his work habits have not faltered over the school year, even throughout Zoom classes. His method to succeed is maintaining high grades until finals roll around so the pressure of exams is slight. But like many students, Owen has also experienced how motivation can fluctuate.
“I've had pretty steady study habits through all of high school, even over Zoom. I've always turned my assignments in and I've been on top of it… [But] I know I have had times when it has waned,” Owen said.
As a junior, Owen is looking forward to beginning senior year in hopes of relieving the pressure of achieving perfect grades for college admissions.
“I'm really excited for senior year because I won't have as much pressure on me to do well in all my classes and I sort of just have to get C’s in them. Hopefully, I'll be committed to a school for college and a school for soccer as well,” Owen said.
How juniors dealt with the most rigorous year of high school
By Alice Simenstad
Junior year is a grind. The year before college apps and senior decisions, students take on APs, SATs and/or ACTS, cram college tours into school breaks, and make sure not to leave any extracurricular stone unturned.
In the most notoriously rigorous year of high school, this class of juniors at AWHS endured their first full year of in-person high school, which made the junior journey even more challenging. Despite this, our third-years have outlasted the pressure.
Some of the most common advanced classes for juniors at AWHS include AP United States History (APUSH), AP Language and Composition, and Chemistry in the Earth System.
While APUSH requires extensive memorization of historical events and patterns, as well as competence in analytical reading and thesis essay writing, junior Colten Landa enjoyed the course this year.
“I think APUSH was probably one of my favorite classes here, just cause like, first Mr. Kelemen, great teacher, shout out to him, and I liked that it was history that was not just facts. It was like the ideas of the different periods, which kind of made it more interesting for me,” Colten said.
Although not an exclusively junior class, junior Cece Kirk also found AP Art History to be a challenging course.
“AP Art History was a lot of work, but it was definitely the most rewarding. The class had a lot of things you needed to learn and memorize, especially for the AP test. And then Chemistry is a subject that I don't really understand. So yeah, that was a struggle for me,” Cece said.
Like many other juniors, Colten found a balance between sports and school to be extremely difficult, especially since his rowing practices switched their start time to 5:30 a.m..
“Well, I've been asleep most of my classes, so I think at least in class, it's made it like tougher to stay fully engaged because I'm not always awake in the mornings or most of the day, honestly…That state [of being] makes it kind of difficult to get everything done that I should get done,” Colten said.
Colten’s daily wakeup time of 4:45 a.m. makes one thing clear: the strain between school, sports, and other extracurricular activities while preparing for college can pose an arduous challenge for juniors.
“It's more challenging, definitely, than I thought it was going to be. There's a lot of homework and a lot of thinking, a lot more college stuff…[It’s been] a lot between parents, teachers and counselors. There's so much stuff that you have to do. It seems almost unreasonable,” Cece said.
Cece and Colten are both relieved to have made it through junior year, as well as excited for senior year. In terms of advice for juniors-to-be, they say to study, manage their time well, and not let assignments pile up. Most importantly, they encourage future juniors to enjoy their second to last year of high school.
This year in standardized testing: an unnecessary hurdle or an advantage for college admissions?
By Henry Pratt
As more colleges and universities choose to make SAT or ACT testing optional for their college admissions, AWHS students decide for themselves whether these standardized tests are necessary to take.
Due to complications surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, standardized testing rates for college admissions plummeted. In 2020, the percentage of students submitting SAT or ACT scores to colleges was 44 percent, a steep decrease from 77 percent of students submitting scores in 2019. Due to this change, some AWHS students believe submitting SAT or ACT scores are unnecessary.
AWHS senior Dira Deandrade took the SAT test in October of 2021. Despite this, she feels that college standardized testing is not a viable test for college preparedness.
“I believe it doesn’t accurately evaluate someone’s academic performance. For example, someone could be great at projects and class work, but bad at tests. Not only that, but [standardized testing] is stressful and studying for it took up a lot of my time,” Dira said.
Dira took a Practice ACT (PACT) on her own during her sophomore year in high school. She says that the SAT felt more intuitive than the ACT, and it also played more to her strengths as a student.
“Since there is no science section on the SAT, science is integrated into the English and writing section. I am good at science, but bad at English, so having some science in the literature sections would raise my score in that section. The ACT, on the other hand, has a science section, so it would be less likely to have science in other sections,” Dira said.
Senior Owen Benson decided not to take the ACT or SAT. He believes that because so many colleges and universities are test optional, it is not necessary to apply to schools that require the SAT/ACT.
“If you don’t want to [take the SAT or ACT] and are dragging yourself through the process I would say it’s not even worth it with all of these schools being optional,” Owen said.
Demetri Spielman, a junior, believes that standardized tests do have potential benefits. He believes that, for more selective schools, a good SAT/ACT score can improve your chances of admission.
“A good test score can really improve your chances of getting into a difficult college,” Demetri said.
After taking both a practice SAT and ACT, Demetri decided to take the ACT. He said that the math section in the SAT was confusing for him, and he did well on the science section of the ACT. Although time consuming, Demetri recommends that other students taking college standardized tests should also try both the SAT and ACT.
“Take both practice tests and see which one you feel more comfortable with. It is different for every student,” Demetri said.
Although some colleges and universities still require SAT and ACT, AWHS students debate whether or not college standardized tests are necessary for future students.
The above polls were taken from a random sample of students during lunch and in passing periods.
senior
Senior Frances Di Carpegna is definitely feeling the effects of senioritis. She feels that now that the pressure of getting into college has been lifted, there is a sense of relief so she has become less motivated to put effort into her work.
“I felt a lot more inclined to do my assignments and do them well at the beginning of the school year and for semester one grades, and as of now my motivation to put in the effort is a lot lower and I feel like the stakes are a lot lower now that I’m about to graduate,” Frances said.
Since finishing AP exams, Frances feels that a lot of pressure has been lifted from her shoulders because she worked so hard leading up to the tests. As the year comes to a close, and she has already committed to the University of Austin in Texas, the stakes are a little lower and she has more room to breathe.
“It’s also just the fact that we’re finishing high school, and after finishing AP exams I’m feeling kind of done. I’ve kind of checked out and my motivation level has gone down because I worked so hard up until my last exam and can now let myself give out a little,” Frances said.
Students' favorite memories from this school year
By Jasmin Desruisseau
“[My favorite memory was] going to NCS and winning the first game… compared to my first two years of softball, [one being lost to COVID and the second having a bad record]. So [going from] not playing well throughout my high school career to actually making it to NCS and going further than even the baseball team was really nice.”
- Reese Warner, senior
“My favorite [memory from this school year] was when I rebuilt a table in engineering, it was for playing ping pong with a ball and using your hands instead of paddles, and we built it ourselves, it was really fun."
-Nic Balazs, junior
“My favorite memory was probably acting in [our school production of] That 70s Show because it was a cool experience and I got to make a lot of friends that way. I met some people I never really thought I’d be friends with. [My funniest moment] was during the show when Dante [Canela] forgot to bring the TV on stage and he had to improvise an entire scene just to make up for it. Ian [Kolcun] kinda just blamed him for stealing the TV and that was really funny.”
- Kris Hillesheim, freshman
“My favorite high school sports moment was my first ever run in football. It was a fullback weak side run and I took it to the outside for 34 yards and it was really fun. I had a lot of adrenaline and emotionally it was very exciting because after making one miss I thought I was gone. [Overall] it was very very exciting because it was a big game and [the play] was great.”
-Kyle Fredrickson, sophomore
Player profile: three sport star athlete Zach Castrejon
By Ethan Frankel
Senior athlete Zach Castrejon was a key player in three AWHS sports teams – Varsity football, soccer, and baseball – this past year. As a junior, Zach only played football, but in previous years, he played both baseball and soccer. As a senior, he decided to give one last run for each of the three sports. Zach will continue his athletic career in college in hopes of being able to turn sports into a profession.
Zach first played football when new coach Anthony Jackson joined the football program last year, in Zach’s junior year. The new coaching staff had convinced Zach to come out and play football.
“The relationship I formed with the new coach [Anthony Jackson] is a relationship I can continue after high school, and he is someone I can always count on to talk to if I need help,” Zach said.
Zach played a key part in the stellar Falcon offense, which helped lead AWHS to the NCS playoffs for the first time since 2013. They sadly lost to Del Norte High School in the first round of NCS, which ended Zach’s two year long high school football career. Next year, Zach will be a part of the football program at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC).
“I couldn’t wrap my head around only having one full season of high school ball,” Zach said. “I couldn’t just let it go, and coaches have told me I have potential to play at the next level.”
Once football season ended, winter sports rolled around and Zach joined the soccer team. In the middle of the MCAL season, starting goalkeeper junior Achilles Das had a season-ending injury. Zach played soccer as a freshman and was pulled back onto the team by previous teammates after Achilles’ injury to finish out the season.
This season was the most successful season in the history of the AWHS boys soccer program. They won NCS and disappointingly lost in the state championship game. This is the farthest the team has ever gone in playoffs, and Zach played a big role in this success.
Zach was the goalkeeper for the Falcons in their playoff run. His key moment came against Richmond High School in the NCS playoffs. The game was tied, and went into penalty kicks. Zach came up with a critical save to keep AWHS alive in the rest of the playoffs.
“It was a pretty crazy season. I hadn’t played soccer in two years, but I grew up playing it. Making it all the way to the state championship with kids I have played with since I was eight was incredible,” Zach said.
After the heartbreaking loss in the state championship game, Zach immediately moved from the soccer goal and onto the baseball diamond. He was an outfielder and pitcher for the Falcons. After not playing baseball for a few years, going out with his best friend, senior pitcher Elliot Joslin was a big factor in his decision to play baseball.
“Elliot’s been my best friend since preschool, and since we are graduating I don’t know when I will see him again or play with him again. I might as well spend my last year of high school playing with him and the boys on the baseball team,” Zach said.
The final sports season of Zach’s high school sporting career ended in the first round of NCS playoffs, with a loss against Albany High School. This isn’t the end of sports for Zach, as he will continue to play football in college at SRJC. He ends his high school sports career with an NCS championship in soccer and memories to last a lifetime.
The first sport he played this year was football, in a turn-around season for the AWHS football program. The team qualified for the North Coast Section (NCS) playoffs, and Zach played a large part in this turn-around, as he was a reliable wide receiver for senior quarterback Zach Atkinson.
Zach first played football when new coach Anthony Jackson joined the football program last year, in Zach’s junior year. The new coaching staff had convinced Zach to come out and play football.
“The relationship I formed with the new coach [Anthony Jackson] is a relationship I can continue after high school, and he is someone I can always count on to talk to if I need help,” Zach said.
Zach played a key part in the stellar Falcon offense, which helped lead AWHS to the NCS playoffs for the first time since 2013. They sadly lost to Del Norte High School in the first round of NCS, which ended Zach’s two year long high school football career.
Next year, Zach will be a part of the football program at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). He then hopes to transfer to a bigger school to continue his career. If Zach doesn’t pursue a profession in football, he will try to become a firefighter.
“I couldn’t wrap my head around only having one full season of high school ball,” Zach said. “I couldn’t just let it go, and coaches have told me I have potential to play at the next level, and I am glad I get to play at this junior college especially since they have the firefighter program which is something I want to do.”
Once football season ended, winter sports rolled around and Zach joined the soccer team. In the middle of the MCAL season, starting goalkeeper junior Achilles Das had a season-ending injury. Zach played soccer as a freshman and was pulled back onto the team by previous teammates after Achilles’ injury to finish out the season.
When Zach played as a freshman, he made the Varsity soccer team. Tragically, the next day, Zach found out that he had broken his back. This was a setback for Zach, and led him on a course of perseverance. The following year during his recovery, COVID-19 struck; this on top of his injury led him to struggling with his academics. Once sports returned, and he had recovered from his injury, Zach was able to get his grades back up, and returned to thriving in the classroom and on the field.
“My back injury set me back a lot,” Zach said. “It put me in a bad mindset, and I also struggle with dyslexia in school, so school was already hard for me. Without having a sport to motivate me I just slacked off in school.”
This season was the most successful season in the history of the AWHS boys soccer program. They won NCS and disappointingly lost in the state championship game. This is the farthest the team has ever gone in playoffs, and Zach played a big role in this success.
Zach was the goalkeeper for the Falcons in their playoff run. His key moment came against Richmond High School in the NCS playoffs. The game was tied, and went into penalty kicks. Zach came up with a critical save to keep AWHS alive in the rest of the playoffs.
“It was a pretty crazy season. I hadn’t played soccer in two years, but I grew up playing it. Making it all the way to the state championship with kids I have played with since I was eight was incredible,” Zach said.
After the heartbreaking loss in the state championship game, Zach immediately moved from the soccer goal and onto the baseball diamond. He was an outfielder and pitcher for the Falcons. After not playing baseball for a few years, going out with his best friend, senior pitcher Elliot Joslin, was a big factor in his decision to play baseball.
“Elliot’s been my best friend since preschool, and since we are graduating I don’t know when I will see him again or play with him again. I might as well spend my last year of high school playing with him and the boys on the baseball team,” Zach said.
The final sports season of Zach’s high school sporting career ended in the first round of NCS playoffs, with a loss against Albany High School. This isn’t the end of sports for Zach, as he will continue to play football in college at SRJC. He ends his high school sports career with an NCS championship in soccer and memories to last a lifetime.
Remember homecoming week? Yeah, we do too.
By Dylan Carson