The new year proposes the opportunity to restart and reset. While the school year continues, the semester starts anew, creating a space for students to let go of stress and be able to plan for how they’re going to tackle the new year.
Coming back from Christmas break, there was a new atmosphere that was different from the anxiety that came with midterms and finals. People were filled with excitement and optimism to return to school, rather than stress.
The new semester creates a sense of anticipation, whether it’s being one semester closer to graduation, the start of a spring sport, having to start studying for SATs or AP tests, or even just being one month closer to summer. Whatever position you stand in, there is something to look forward to at the start of the semester, encouraging people to want to make something out of the school experience and inspire celebration for the new year instead of dread.
On Jan. 16, the Marietta Chorus Department decided to set up “Karaoke in the Cafeteria” to create a fun activity and start the second semester strong.
“We are doing Karaoke in the Cafeteria to create a presence here,” Dr. Britney Woods, the chorus director at Marietta, said. “We wanted to engage students and promote our program, but we also want to give students a chance to sing to bring joy and share positive vibes, and good vibes for the new year.”
Having celebrations of the new year not only gathers excitement but also fosters community within the school. With activities such as Dr. Wood’s Cafeteria Karaoke, it’s easy to share a feeling of enthusiasm, support your fellow students and peers, and wish them success in the new year.
You don’t just find the benefits of the new year within school, but around the entire community. The new year is viewed as a cultural and mental reset, a chance for people to build new habits and let go of old ones, and to try new things. The perspective change January brings can help all aspects of your life. Starting with a positive mindset can set the tone of your entire year and benefit you in all aspects of life.
“[The new year] is a positive thing because I am blessed,” Fasilata Desina, MCS employee, said, “My family is blessed, my children, my husband, and it is a good and grateful life we’re living. Everything good is coming because it is a new year. We’re happy, [and we’re] blessed.”
Seeing all of the positivity being shared, it is impossible not to find this joy contagious. These optimistic outlooks represent the mantra, “New year, new me.”
New Year’s and a new semester mean starting over to most; everything is new, from the weather changing to the new classes. But it’s not always that simple. You come back, and you’re right back to the same things you were learning, the same people you talk with, the same atmosphere, and even the same halls. People come back thinking everything will change, when in reality, they fall into the same habits as before.
Students have to come right back into the same classes, but now the teachers don’t just start new; they still have the same mindset of who you are, and they push you even harder with work because they are “preparing” you for all the end-of-year tests. As a student athlete, it can be hard to manage a new season when school just keeps getting harder and harder.
“First semester was a lot better than the second semester because all your classes just get harder in the second semester because all your teachers just get tired and then they just get mad at you all the time,” Weston Durham (10) said.
Students feel like the school year is the entire year, and so they don’t set goals halfway through the year. Things stay the same, so approach with the same attitude as before.
“I don’t really set goals for the new year, just because life is pretty good, so why change it,” Maya Encarnaicon (10) said.
When starting the school year, most kids set their goals, but it can be difficult to start again when everything around you doesn’t change. A lot of the time, you say this semester is going to be different, you are definitely going to lock in on work, but then you fall back into the same habits as before. Everyone falls victim to it. I think it’s more realistic to change when you want to change and not set it to a certain day.
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