`The most important thing that I have learned from school is how to handle pressure. As a student leader, my greatest source of pressure comes from not only learning how to balance the various aspects of my life
–academics, extracurricular and community activities, social activities and music–but also striving to maintain high standards in all these areas. Because I have learned to handle pressure, I thrive on it.”
SOURCE: Diana Han, Lane Tech High School, Chicago.
`I am happiest in the quiet moments before I fall asleep when my thoughts are unrestrained and my creativity let loose. I am content when I can sit alone and draw, write or merely muse. School has been instrumental in giving me the self-confidence to create.”
SOURCE: Rajul Pandya, Auburn High School, Rockford.
`You haven`t lived until you`ve spent three days on a train with 243 band members and more than 100 parents and chaperones! An invitation to the high school marching band to participate in the Rose Bowl Parade my freshman year meant a lot of work. Money had to be raised to get us there. The entire community got involved before the dream of going to Pasadena, Calif., became a reality. Teamwork was the key to getting everything done.” SOURCE: Darlene Hildebrand, Newton High School.
`I have learned that nothing in life is a constant. I have watched and remembered the many changes in my classmates over the years. I have seen kids who, in the 7th grade, were `wimps` change into the macho `studs` of the senior class. I have watched as the leaders in grade school became the followers in high school and vice versa.”
SOURCE: David Mercer, Marissa High School.
`Teenage life is like soap operas. Our school is rich in love triangles, backstabbing, feuds, gossip, fighting, chaos and confusion. There is so much pressure on students that it is hard to accomplish anything. Both the administration and the parents apply pressure to the troubled young minds of our youth.”
SOURCE: Kyle Fahrbach, Fenton High School, Bensenville.
`High school reflects a transition from the secluded world of kindergarten to the realistic world of college and beyond, a transition from immaturity to maturity. For many teens, this painfully tests their bonds toward home and parents alike, their first actual break from their families. My high school, by forcing me to interact with other people and grow personally, has increased my desire to be free enough to learn more about my universe.”
SOURCE: Shishir Sheth, Young High School, Chicago.
`The only safe path to self-respect is through one`s own values and ideas. Cross-country has taught me that if I am going to achieve something, I am going to have to be the one to do it. If I want to run a 4:50 mile, I alone have the power to move my legs and battle for breath. Only I can put in the practice time which will affect my performance. I hold my potential in my own hands, and I can blame no one but myself if that potential is not reached.” SOURCE: Paul Stefanski, Riverside-Brookfield, Riverside.
`To look at a rainbow and know the wavelengths of each color are very good, but sometimes it is better to look at a rainbow and know its beauty in the world. To be able to feel the beauty of a rainbow is something a human can do well. The machines man builds can probably lead him to live a more comfortable life, but the human he builds inside himself can lead him to live a peaceful and beautiful life.” SOURCE: Marc McConney, Hales Franciscan H.S., Chicago.
`There`s a distinct difference between simply doing school work to fulfill your educational requirements and thriving on it in order to broaden your horizons. Thriving on utilizing all your potential seems like an absolute, but it really is not treated like one. People constantly live their lives by only doing what is necessary to get by.” SOURCE: Todd Hanold, Peoria High School.
`Some people think that being a high-paid businessman with a big house, a sailboat, three cars, a beautiful family, a dog and money to burn is the perfect picture of success. For me, success is being the best that I can be.” SOURCE: Duska Smith, Casey-Westfield H.S., Casey.
`Few of the facts or skills that one gains in high school can be argued to be as important as the realization that through positive attitudes toward one`s self, toward God and toward others, one can lead a gratifying life.” SOURCE: Thomas Nutter, Carlinville High School.
`The most important thing I have learned in school is the path I want my life to follow. As early as 9th grade, I realized I wanted to protect my country by pursuing a career in the military. This desire to work for my country comes from a sense of patriotism.”
SOURCE: Anthony Stout, Danville High School.
`I was complaining about my mountain of chemistry homework, pointing out that it was rather impractical. After all, how often does the average person need to know the entropy of liquid nitrogen at 283 degrees Kelvin? A friend, wise beyond his years, told me that even if I didn`t learn anything else useful in chemistry, I was learning how to think.”
SOURCE: Brenda Thompson, Hampshire High School.
`One of the first `skills` I was taught in kindergarten was sharing. Although reluctant at first, I soon learned that others had things I wanted, and, not having a major credit card, I had to share whatever I had so that they would share with me.”
SOURCE: Jeff McLain, Hyde Park Academy, Chicago.
`I moved from India to the United States in 8th grade. I have gained something from my school experience which is very important in life
the ability to adjust to others. I vaguely remember hearing phrases like the Dallas Cowboys, Duran Duran, Apples and TRS 80s. I had no idea what these meant, but I started to learn as the days went by.”
SOURCE: Yinod Ambrose, Monmouth High School.
`To achieve brotherhood we must try to overcome racism because racism is helping to keep this school apart. Also to help achieve brotherhood the students should try to control their tempers so that it will stop the fighting. Brotherhood is the most important thing I have learned in school.” SOURCE: Alejandro Nevarez, Farragut H.S., Chicago.
`It`s up to me to finish assignments on time. It`s up to me to take notes and know what`s going on in my classes. It`s up to me to study and be prepared for tests. And when I have doubts, it`s up to me to take initiative and ask questions. Through my 13 school years, the most important lesson I`ve learned is self-reliance.” SOURCE: Amy Nona, Lemont High School.
`When I first read this question, I had to laugh. I was supposed to try and sum up all of the teaching of my high school years in one lesson? At first it seemed ridiculous. Then, after I admitted that if I wanted the honor I had to do the work, I tried to find some in-depth lesson that you, as judges, would be impressed with. Put simply, the most important lesson I have learned in high school is that to have any sort of success you have to work hard.” SOURCE: James McDermott, Prospect H.S., Mt. Prospect.
