Katie's Corner: Katie's junior high advice -- don't panic Katie's Corner: Katie's junior high advice -- don't panic (September 21, 2005)

By Katie Blankenberg

6th-grader, St. Raymond School

It's school time again, and I'm in the sixth grade at St. Raymond School in Menlo Park. That means I'm in junior high, which is cool, but it can be tough, too.

You're not considered a little kid anymore and you get real lockers instead of cubbyholes. This year I have several different classes and teachers. (I had only one teacher and one class in fifth grade.)

People expect more of you -- like not forgetting your locker code. If you forget, you may not get to the books you need and you may lose track of the classes you're supposed to go to!

I had mixed feelings about going back to school. I was annoyed that I would have to do homework every night, study for tests, and get up early. Yet, I was excited about seeing my friends and getting a locker to decorate.

Now that I've started studying and doing homework, it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. But it's getting harder to squeeze in time for homework with all the other activities.

Right now, I am doing volleyball, fencing and alter serving, and I am going to start piano. At the end of this month I am starting ballroom dancing lessons at the Circus Club in Atherton with sixth-graders from other schools. I have had to make a schedule so that I don't have a meltdown.

In the sixth grade at St. Raymond, we have things going on throughout the year, including Greek Day, Outdoor Ed., and elections for the student council (last year I was elected fifth-grade representative). Some school activities for all grades are Field Day, Spirit Day, and Faculty Frenzy.

My advice is not to panic. On the first couple of days of school my classmates and I have not been able to open our lockers and we have also forgotten our books. It's good to think about the positive things and your friends at school, and you'll be better able to deal with the end of summer vacation.
Katie Blankenberg, 12, lives in Portola Valley.

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