Interesting sophomore year went well

The happier thing about Fridays at Clear Horizons is that you get out of school earlier than the normal dismissal time (which is usually at 3:20 PM). OK, that's a well-known perk around here, but still... it's a great one. We need that earlier dismissal every Friday because we work so hard at that school compared to other high schools. And an early dismissal means getting home early, so why not take the time to enjoy that extra time? I know I probably would.

I've already posted a few times on some interesting stories I had this sophomore year. Well, once again, I have yet another interesting story. And of course, it happens to deal with the buses. On our way to the school on Friday, we get stuck in a traffic jam on the highway. While we're trying to get through that traffic jam, our bus engine quit working, which meant we had to pull off to the shoulder and wait for help to arrive. Or, at least, we thought we were going to have to wait, because 15 minutes later, we start the bus and was able to pull off the highway and into a nearby gas station. If we didn't try to pull off the highway, we would've had to exit through the back door (something we apparently never practiced in CCISD). I'm very glad we didn't have to do that, though. It took about 25 minutes, from beginning to end, for this whole situation to get resolved and head back on the road in another bus. And they were going to have a cop show up to block traffic so the bus evacuation would be safer, too - but we never had to deal with any of that. Thank goodness.

If you read all my interesting stories, and when you consider them all, you'll probably understand me when I say that sophomore year could not get more interesting than this (or, at least, for me). And I'm also glad that sophomore year has still not tried to split me into pieces due to rage after a week of school. I say this because I know they say sophomore year is your hardest year. I can see why.

Anyway, good luck out there to all students, especially for my friends and those in their sophomore year!

Interesting good week of sophomore year + blog name & link change

OK, if you're a CHECHS student, you know this has probably been said many times before - we're not having any classes tomorrow (which is Friday) - we really just have a very long advisory period (as we wait to pick up our college textbooks) and the fall social, which basically means a lazy school day to most people! (Yay!) Besides that, I've got to say... I think I've had a very interesting sophomore year so far. In my case, it's mainly with either the bus ride or the technology people.

When it comes to the buses, almost every day this week so far has had an interesting moment this week. The first day got its very own post with its very own story (and we were very late getting back home that day). The second day was business as usual (nothing interesting there). The third day, however, our neighborhood bus driver in the morning found a way to dodge traffic at a light, part of which involve going straight through the light, backing up elsewhere, and turning right from the other side of the light. That's also when I heard that my Horizons bus driver was going to start assigning seats - but she'd let us choose our seats, and to start getting in the habit of sitting in the same spot every day so we'd be used to it. How nice of her to do this!

On the fourth day, we had a little situation with our morning neighborhood bus. As we leave our last stop and get up to speed in the neighborhood, the bus driver's "No Students On Board" sign fell out of the bus driver's window and into the road. (Oh no!) So, the driver had to back up the bus about 100 feet or so to get the sign back, and ended up blocking someone's driveway (unfortunately, they wanted out at the time, so she had to wait. The driver of the car seemed to understand.) After that situation was settled, all was well and normal after that.

And I want to tell you a little story about the school laptops and the interesting part about that day (which was also on the fourth day). So, on the second day of school, I turned my old laptop in to the tech because it wouldn't boot. Was told to come back on Thursday, so I was totally cool with that. Sure enough, I come back on Thursday, and my laptop's ready for me! And it turns out it's not the laptop I was expecting. Sure, it was the same model, but it felt totally different AND it was running Windows 10, not 8.1. I learned that as soon as I saw the Windows 10 loading logon screen when I powered it on. Turns out I had gotten a BRAND NEW laptop from CCISD (thanks so much for that laptop, CCISD! I really love it!), which is great, because hopefully the newer version will be more reliable! Speaking of reliable, I feel like attempting to compare the two laptops in terms of hardware, so here goes... Both models are Dell Latitude 3150, if you were curious on what the District-provided student laptops were.

The older, 2015 version had an Intel Pentium N3540 @ 2.16GHz, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB 7200RPM HDD. (Yes, they had an actual hard drive in there. Not the best when it comes to rough handling, but it still works for many students, because most of them still have this version.)

The newer, 2016 version has the exact same processor (Intel Pentium N3540), exact same amount of RAM (4GB), and a smaller (but faster) 128GB SSD. Yes, it's a solid-state drive with no moving parts, which means the newer version is almost silent, in addition to having a possible increase in reliability.

The only main software difference is that the older version runs Windows 8.1, while the newer version runs Windows 10. Other than that, the laptop models are basically the same!

So that's the end of the interesting story of my good week of sophomore year. I do want to say something about this blog, though... so keep reading. I decided to change the name of this blog from "CHECHS Survival Guide" to "CHECHS Life" and the blog link from chechssurvivalguide.blogspot.com to chechslife.blogspot.com . The reason? It makes a lot more sense to have it named to "CHECHS Life" (or at least, to me). Besides, this whole thing was still a work in progress, so... yeah. Students, good luck out there! See ya later!

First day of Sophomore Year - So Far, So Good... and Interesting!

Wow. I didn't think I was going to have this interesting of a time when it's the first day of school. Yes, your routine is different and a lot more organized than from how it was during the summer, but we all know that's only temporary. Now that we're back to organized routines and the first day of school has passed by, it's only a matter of time before you start actually getting used to it.

When the first day of school arrives, we probably all think that our teachers will not even try to give us homework on the first day of school. If you think that, I'd say think again. You're forgetting that once you're in the course for the first day, your teachers are probably going to hand you a syllabus for the class. And more than likely, you and/or your parents will need to sign that syllabus, along with all the other things the school wants you and the parents to sign, like the bus cards for the Transportation Department and such.

And, on top of ALL of that, some teachers just happen to be mean enough to assign homework before you leave that class on the first day of school. Man, talk about a seemingly tedious start of a student's school year! (Unfortunately, as time goes by, and when we start seeing finals mentioned at schools and colleges, the difficulty will only get worse.)

If you want to ask how my first day went in person, I'd probably end up just saying "It went well!" and then asking them the same thing. I've noticed people don't really like to stick around for stories when they just wanted the answer to a simple question, so I just end up keeping it short, even though it's likely I got a lot more details about how my day ACTUALLY went. But here, since I mentioned it, I'll give you a rundown of what happened today that made this first day quite interesting.

What makes a first day of high school quite interesting, you ask? Well, I'm glad you did! You see, when we got to school, and when we starting getting information about the classes we were going to be taking IN our classes, by the time the clock struck 11:15 AM, the power to all of San Jac South went out for a solid 20 seconds, then went back on. The reason why that happened? It was really stormy out there at the time. Classes were completely normal after that, although a little bit of commotion about the power going out was heard at that time. If you think that's all there is, keep reading, because there's a lot more to this entire story.

When we were actually dismissed for the day at our regular dismissal time, 3:20 PM, that's when the interesting parts really do get interesting. And I thought I was just in for a normal commute back to Victory Lakes Intermediate, and then back home. But nope, it turns out I was in for a HUGE ride back home. As soon as we left CHECHS (later than usual, as it was the first day and we left at 3:29 PM instead of 3:25 PM), we find there's really heavy traffic on Beamer Rd, so we took an alternate way with intent on heading on to I-45. But we didn't get very far... before all of a sudden, the radio needs Route 119 (which, by the way, is the Horizons bus for Clear Springs). As soon as I overheard that we needed to go BACK to CHECHS, my mind was like "Oh, no...", and so was the passenger next to me. Even another CCISD bus was wondering what was going on, as they pulled right next to us (blocking 2 lanes of traffic in the process).

As we head back, it turns out they want us to take some students to Brookside Intermediate. We originally were asked to take some students to both Clear Lake Intermediate AND Brookside Intermediate, but when the students started coming out to board the bus, it turns out we had a LOT more students than even I was expecting. Not only was the bus was almost full of people sitting 2 to a seat, but more students would have to board our bus either way. So, she had to stop the students coming in the bus and quickly come up with a plan. Needless to say, we were all very surprised about this even happening. After some thinking (and being ignored when she tried to call Base to report the overcrowding issue), we eventually decided we could take all of the Brookside Intermediate students. So we did just that. By the time the bus finished loading, pretty much everyone was sitting 3 to a seat. Not a comfortable way to ride a school bus, but if we have to, we have to. It still works.

Finally, after all that trouble, and leaving at 3:42 PM, we still go the way we originally planned (the non-Beamer way). Due to all the heavy traffic everywhere, it took us quite a while to even get to Brookside, which means we have to tell a few bus routes to wait - both at Victory Lakes AND Creekside. Because I'm so cool to be sitting at the front of the bus (and knowing that I was a really good bus rider last year), I got the HUGE honor of helping my bus driver with writing down what bus routes need to wait for the Horizons bus. So I did. And believe it or not, the results were just what I expected - only a few buses had to wait, while pretty much the rest of them got to go on their way.

We arrive at Creekside at about 4:15 PM. No interesting stuff there, just dropping off passengers. But it's not the same when we depart, however. When we did depart, a totally different intermediate student who knew Route 119 was with Creekside last year and stood RIGHT by the door, with his friends watching. The bus driver just drove away safely, with the kids laughing about the fact that he just got denied by a bus driver! (Of course he would, he doesn't need to ride! It's not his route anymore!)

We then (finally) arrive at Victory Lakes at 4:34 PM. Apparently a student on the bus who knew me and rode the same neighborhood intermediate bus as I did tried to catch my attention, but I didn't hear him. Since I actually wanted to get back home today, and there was absolutely no time, I rushed. It turns out he wanted to follow me to the intermediate bus I ride (because I know he rides the same bus I do - all three of them). If I had heard him, I likely would've stopped and let him follow me.

So we got on the intermediate bus, and the really interesting part ends there, apart from the intermediate bus having a sign telling our students the bus is not a Pokemon zone and it will NOT stop in order to attempt for a student to catch an imaginary creature, as they don't exist in reality.

So that's my story of how my first day of sophomore year went. Sounds interesting, but I know it's probably not going to be like that tomorrow. That was just too interesting for a possibility of this happening again. Because as we all probably would've guessed by now, no two commutes are the same when it comes to being on the road. Ever.

Oh, and did I mention I got to see pretty much all my best friends at my neighborhood high school ON the first day? That must've been pure luck right there, or great planning on their part (because of course, I wasn't involved in that discussion.)

Have a great day and good luck to all students who read this blog!

School starts soon! Tips for getting ready for the first day of school

Well, hello there! As we all know, school is just around the corner! For Clear Creek ISD, school starts on August 22 (which is the day after the next), which means we'll be saying goodbye to all those summer moments we've had this year - whether it be Schlitterbahn, going on bike rides, going on vacation, or even just staying home and chilling! Most of us also didn't have to worry about schoolwork over the summer (unless you happened to take summer school). But unfortunately, all of that's ending soon.

Since summer's ending, and school is about to start for the year, here are a few tips on *hopefully* getting ready for school to start on the first day.

• Get a good night's sleep before the first day of school. This tip can't be stressed enough. Some people don't listen and start trying to adjust their sleep schedule the day BEFORE school starts. That won't work well, as you will probably feel tired when you wake up to your alarm. If you're unlucky enough to fall back asleep and you turned off your alarm completely, you're probably going to be late the first day if you don't have parents waking you up in time. Not a good thing to have happen to you, so... please, start adjusting your sleep schedule well before school starts (I started my normal sleep schedule a week before school starts. Should work well enough.) Oh, and when you adjust your sleep schedule, be sure to go to bed at a regular weekday bedtime. Disregard all of this on the weekend, as you want to get a feel for the routine.
• Come to school PREPARED. Seriously. Even though high schools might not provide school supply lists until you get to your classes, you will still do yourself a huge favor by coming to school prepared. At the very list, bring some pencils, pens, notebooks, and other obviously necessary school supplies. I wouldn't waste time going to the store to buy binders until after you get more information on what size binder you need for a particular class. The reason why I say this is because you risk buying the wrong size binder, and will then have to go to the store again to buy the right size binder. So basically, come to school prepared, but not too prepared.
• Try not to be one of the "distracted" students. Yes, I know it seems tempting to bust out your phone and check your social media and/or play Pokemon Go during school hours, but don't do it. You risk getting your device taken up when you do this. And getting your device taken up will not leave a good feeling for you. If it gets taken up in a Clear Creek ISD school, you'll have to come to their office later and pay a $15 fee to get it back. Probably not worth it for being impatient with everything that's happening on your phone. And yes, we've all done it before. Some of them never had their devices taken up, while others have gotten theirs taken up several times. Guess it just depends on the person and/or their skill level in hiding their evidence of being a distracted student. At least most of them still take notes and get good grades.
• If you're new to a school, try to ask for directions between classes! When you set foot in a new school, you're going to get lost if you don't know where your classes are. If you don't ask, you're going to be late to your class (although they usually let it go on the first couple days, as they understand being lost). Even then, you should still ask for directions. Once you know the path between your classes, getting between your classes during passing periods should be easier. At that point, you can start attempting to find shortcuts if you need to or want to. If you try that and the shortcut doesn't work out, you should obviously stop taking it before it starts causing problems.
• Have fun in school (without being trouble!) School's that much more tolerable if you find friends and talk with them throughout the day (although don't cause trouble in the process!) Besides, friendships are very important in life! It's good to have friends involved in your life! Sure, there will be disagreements with some of your friends at some times in your life, but don't stress out about it if you can! Just have fun in school when you can, because again, school will be that much more enjoyable if you do this!

So those are my tips for getting ready for school to start on the first day! Take them to good use! You'll be thankful for those tips later during your career in school!

Surviving at Clear Horizons - Tips and Tricks (What to Do & What NOT to Do on Campus)

Hello to my visitors! Sorry it took me so long to actually write this post. The reason why was because the computer I wanted to write my blog with started getting crashing problems. In addition to that, other stuff revolving around my life end up taking up my day, barely leaving any time to write on this blog. But whether it's computer problems or just laziness, I finally got around to finishing up this post. Anyway, here's the post...

The previous post talked about the routine we have at Clear Horizons. Now it's time to learn about some tips and tricks on what to do and what not to do at Clear Horizons! (Remember, some of this also applies to ALL high school students.) So without further ado, here's some of those tips and tricks!

• As much as academics are stressed in an early college high school, you are NOT limited to just academics. I've seen it countless times... people will socialize during school hours whenever they can. Even I've managed to socialize during the school day sometimes, and that's a good thing, because without socialization, you can quite possibly become depressed & stressed, in addition to other negative things that will happen to you. I've done quite a bit of socialization in this school, and STILL walked away in my freshman year with a report card that has mostly B's. So go ahead, don't be afraid to socialize a little bit at school! You'll thank yourself for it.

• This one should've been obvious, and I admit, we've all been victims of this one at least once (myself included); some of us on a pretty routine basis. That tip is... DON'T PROCRASTINATE! Procrastination, for those of you who happen to not know what it means, is waiting until the last minute to complete anything. It's mainly used in the academic world when you wait until the last minute to complete a project, assignment, etc. Don't procrastinate, because it means making it harder and more stressful on yourself. When you procrastinate, you also take the risk of not having enough time to get something done, all because you thought it would only take a certain amount of time. There's also the unavoidable chance that something will not work while you attempt to rush on getting your work done. If something breaks while you end up procrastinating (I'll use a computer as an example), and you either didn't save your work OR you don't have another computer to work on, you're basically screwed, right? Yep. You never want that to happen, especially if it's a project for a class you're working on, as that project is more than likely a major grade, and your grade for the class is likely going to be sabotaged... all because you decided to procrastinate. Usually, it can only take one HORRIBLE grade to bring your average down significantly (especially if it's major grade). So don't do it - otherwise you run the risk of this entire situation just described happening to you.

• Another obvious thing you shouldn't be doing, even though we all have probably done it at least once... DO NOT CHEAT. EVER. Someone at Clear Horizons actually tried that stunt during the 2015-2016 school year and got busted for it. He ALMOST, and I'm being serious here - ALMOST got their permanent record sabotaged, and that was likely only because the teachers there were pretty nice (and he was one of the awesome students too). Thank goodness the entire situation ended up being in a high school class... if it was in a college class, it would've been a totally different story (and probably a lot more horrible). Long story short, no matter what you're thinking, just don't cheat. If you get busted, you're gonna get written up for it. And likely, they're not going to be forgiving about it. These are the consequences for cheating in Clear Creek ISD...

Doesn't sound anything like a situation you'd want to deal with, huh? Didn't think so. Don't cheat.

• If something bad happens, feel free to speak up! Don't be afraid to tell someone about your situation. They will likely help you get through the situation.

So those are my tips and tricks for surviving at a high school, especially in an early college high school like Clear Horizons. Do me a HUGE favor and PLEASE utilize these tips and tricks! They are vital to your success on campus!