Another fall semester has come and gone at Maggie Walker. For freshmen, it was the first, introducing the challenges of high school while they get to know a whole new group of classmates. For seniors, it was the last, featuring a whirlwind of college applications and bittersweet final moments. Dragons of every grade level experienced different academic, social, and extracurricular milestones during the first semester. As they reflect back on the school year thus far and look ahead to the spring semester, ten students share their perspective and words of wisdom.

This fall, freshman Dragons got their first taste of the high school experience. When asked how Maggie Walker compares to her middle school, Sofia Santos (‘27) said that Maggie Walker “is more challenging and has way better teachers.” She added that “social wise… most of [the people] are pretty nice and friendly, which compared to my old school, is a huge difference.” Chris Qian (‘27), though, shared a different perspective. “MLWGS academically has been slightly easier than my middle school so far,” he said. In terms of the social scene, Qian remarked that “MLWGS is a lot more ‘cliquey’ than my middle school…people generally talk to a couple people in their friend circle and no one else.” 

On the other end, senior Dragons experienced their second-to-last semester at Maggie Walker. A major aspect that often amps the difficulty of this time of year for seniors is college applications, and four seniors shared how those applications affected the semester. “College applications definitely played a role in my stress during the first semester,” Emiley Griffin (‘24) said. “I not only had to make sure I stayed on top of my academics, but also make sure my applications were being done on time,” she added.  “These essays took a lot out of me,” a fellow senior said, expressing a similar sentiment. Others said that the application process did not significantly add to the stress of the semester. “I paced myself and had them all in before November,” Ben Lashley (‘24) said. “It was sort of stressful to get stuff in before deadlines and maintain high grades, but it wasn’t too bad,” Ishaan Dave (‘24) similarly remarked. 

Overall, across all four grades, when asked to rank the difficulty of the semester on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being extremely difficult) the average ranking was 6.2. Lashley ranked the difficulty of the semester a 7 out of 10, explained by the “massive papers abound and so much reading to do.” Explaining her slightly higher ranking of an 8, Lucy Gates (‘25) says “I had some difficulty adjusting to my new classes, mainly because I am now in 3 APs, where last year I was in none.” On the contrary, Qian ranked the semester a mere 3, saying that “my middle school was already quite rigorous, so transitioning from middle to high school was a breeze.” Griffin also gave a relatively low ranking of 4, saying that it was one of her least stressful semesters at Maggie Walker. “I was able to pick classes that interest me more than other years because most of my credits are out of the way,” Griffin says.

Heading into the second half of the year, many Dragons have set goals for themselves. In terms of academics, a common trend is students desiring to keep grades high or improve them in certain classes. Lashley further shared his hope to “maintain grades and [his] sanity.” A fellow senior emphasized the need for sleep, adding, “It’s senioritis time!” Other students hope to get an early start for AP exam season. Griffin hopes to “start slowly studying for AP exams so [she doesn’t] have to cram everything in March/April.” Students also hope to improve themselves outside of school next semester. For Qian, this means developing “a better morning routine.” As a beginner to the sport, Santos has set a goal to “get better at soccer,” and no matter how tryouts go, “to not give up on it and keep training.” 

Many students, particularly seniors, feel a decline in motivation upon crossing the halfway point of the school year. To help combat this, a few Dragons have shared tips on staying productive. Alyssa Jones (‘24) shares that a good way to avoid “unnecessary stress” is “making sure your work is submitted on time,” ensuring that students are not “backed up trying to submit double the work.” Qian offers his studying strategy, which involves working in “90 minute blocks and truly [eliminating] any distractions during your work by holding yourself accountable.” However, with fewer breaks to look forward to, many students struggle with such discipline. Warning against the procrastination that often occurs as a result, Ishaan Dave (‘24) explains, “skipping a day of studying might have a resounding effect, so if you think about how it'll affect your future, you'll be motivated.” A fellow Dragon supplements this with their optimistic outlook - “summer is closer than you think.”

Even though the first semester came with some nerve-wracking new beginnings for the freshmen, loads of college applications for the seniors, and stressful moments for the sophomores and juniors, the semester was also full of unforgettable memories. The Pep Rally and Field Day before Homecoming was a common favorite moment of the first half of the year, with Santos, Jones, and Griffin all remarking on the excitement of the day. “Everyone [got] to show their school spirit and just have fun,” Griffin said. “Homecoming is the best way to top it off,” Jones added. Brewer said her favorite memory was the Chinese IV Christmas party; “The food was delicious!” she remarked. Lashley kept it simple, saying that he loved “Just having time with my friends” in semester one. Overall, the first semester included lots of enjoyable moments, new experiences, and lessons learned that Dragons will apply in the final semester of the 2023-24 school year.