My Sophomore Year Of Senior High
2012-08-30 23:07阅读：
Sophomore year has passed. It has been exactly one year since
the day I started high school. This year has been memorable and
recordable. I plan to document from four different perspectives
---- matters concerned with people, with clubs, with studies, and
with extracurricular.
People
Relationships with people for the past year were refreshing,
complicated and satisfying. Since I just stepped out of junior high
school and many intense and memorable relationships with my
previous classmates, it was a bit hard to meld into the new high
school class full of new classmates. I stayed intimately close with
some of my schoolmates from my junior high school in my class, and
refused to fuse in with the others completely. However, our school
arranged a military training that was the perfect catalyst. All
sophomores were to attend a rigorous and rigid military training
held in a real military troop. The activities included bu
t were not limited to standing under the exposure of the sun,
trained to walk, run and chant like a real soldier, and living
together in a military condition.
At first, everything proceeded in a very awkward way, and
people began to form factions. Everyone’s morale was high and was
ready for anything that was to come their ways. Apart from training
together, which was what we did mostly, we also led a new form of
life together. Everybody ate together standing up and occasionally
helped each other with the dishes. As well, everybody took turns to
get hot water for others, and we also carried watermelons into
dormitories and ate the melons with spoons. All the above-mentioned
activities brought people closer. The little details that filled
the week we spent in the military troop was what made it
unforgettable and special.
Besides the little details that were more personal
than public, there were also some pre-planned activities that we
attended, which also improved everybody’s relationships. The
singing contest was definitely one. It was the activity into which
everybody poured enthusiasm and cooperation. From that very
activity, not only did we shared out very first success as a team,
but also got to know each other a lot better than before. After the
singing competition, everybody was aware that Jimmy was a natural
conductor, and that Kelly and Leila had a loud voice. Many more
activities that were akin to the singing competition and had
similar effects also took place, but were not as typical as the one
I elaborated on.
Of course, besides the military training, after which
everybody knew each other and melded into each other’s lives, the
experience we had along the way could not be ignored. For myself
particularly, I felt more attached to the class after the sporting
event. It was an event that our school held every year. Different
students with different sporting talents could sign up for
different type of contest. The moment when my classmates were so
cordial in signing up for the competition, I got my first-hand
feeling of warmth. After that day, I could see my classmates train
for their own contests regularly. It was then when I realized that
the new class was full of devoted people. Their spirits moved me
and I could finally move on from past memories and meld into the
new family. My relationships with them shifted from awkward and
meticulous to carefree and comfortable. I am still really glad I
get to spend my high school years with these passionate, bright and
ardent people.
Clubs
Our school provides more than thirty legitimate clubs for the
students to join in and more than twenty unofficial clubs for
students to take part in. After just several weeks of school, I was
introduced to the numerous clubs on campus. At first I thought I
was interested in everything, so I signed up for five or six clubs
in total. After the clubs started their activities, I started to
realize that I did not possibly have enough time to dedicate to
more than one or two of them. Therefore, under the coercion of lack
of time, I chose to dedicate my time to the Model United Nations
club and the School Magazine club. For the first several months I
was either having an MUN meeting or busy editing the school
magazine. As my workload at school became larger, I started t
realize that I could only keep track of one club. As the situation
got more and more serious, I decided to do an evaluation, not just
of my time arrangements, but also where my interest truly
lied.
After a careful analysis, I decided that my time was limited
and I could only dedicate my energy to one club, and that my
interest lied with theater. Since then, I decided to devote myself
completely to the English Theater club.
At the end of the semester, I volunteered to take the team to
a national theater competition when the director and president of
the club were both busy. I got the specific task just three days
before the competition, and at that time, the people were not even
properly gathered. I sufficiently used three days of time to gather
the actors, rewrote and improved the play, found all the original
props, and got everybody to the competition. The competition went
extremely well and we ended up being the fourth place. It was not
an entirely satisfactory result, but considering all the obstacles
we had to conquer and the limited amount of time we possessed, it
was an acceptable turnout.
After this semester, I realized that I could not do anything
at the rush of my head. I have to sit down and analyze the
situation before plunging into anything. Moreover, if I am going to
take big responsibilities in this club next semester, which I most
likely will, I need to be even more organized than I did last
semester.
Studies
The studies I did last semester varied a great deal from the
type I used to undergo. Since my goal was not to get into a
domestic university anymore, my focus and workload changed
dramatically. To start with, I received a lot more reading and
writing assignments. Not to exaggerate, but I think I might wrote
more last semester than I did in all my junior high school years.
Apart from reading more and writing more, I also paid more
attention to developing critical think and expanding my vocabulary.
I used to be overly-proud about my English capabilities because I
was a lot more ahead than anybody else in my junior class, since I
started early and possessed a tiny bit of natural talent in
language skills. However, when I entered high school, especially
into my class that was filled with hardworking, bright people who
were aiming for the same goal I did, the pressure on me was added.
Not only did I work harder, but I also worked in a different
direction. I was developing more of ability rather than simply
getting the answers correct. I stopped using the method that was
doing a lot of repetitive work and started to focus more on the
methodology of things.
The shift of focus not only helped me accelerate in my new
studies, but also made me realize what was truly important while
studying ---- it was not just to answer correctly, it was also to
think in a critical way. Therefore, after the new way of studying,
I feel myself much more opinionated than before.
Extracurricular
Apart from clubs and charity works, which seem like clichés
already, I also entered a fair number of competitions. I have been
taking part in competitions ever since I was little, and I really
enjoyed each and every one of those experiences. Not only were they
refreshing, but they were also great life lessons for
me.
One of the competitions that I would really like to bring up
is the Star of Outlook English Competition. It had really gone
through my entire sophomore year. The first round in the regional
contest started around September, and it just ended not so long ago
(at the end of July). I have put so much work and effort since the
first round, with a determination to win and a heart that was
willing to enjoy the process at the same time. I think one of the
biggest debacles I encountered during the process was in the
national semi-final. There were four rounds in total and I flopped
really hard in the first one. Since the score is cumulative, it
meant that my final score would be seriously affected by this
failure. I was so blue that I literally thought about quitting
right on the spot. However, I did not and tried not to let the
defeat affect me. It turned out that I really controlled myself
well, because I ended up receiving the highest score amongst all in
the second round, which contributed immensely to my fourth place
after the four rounds when I was only the sixty-sixth place after
the first round.
The rest of the competition went really well, and I not only
ended up being the national champion, but also found friendships
that I would really cherish with all my heart. Nevertheless, what
engraved in me was the experience during the national semi-final,
because it was not just a catastrophe, it was a catastrophe that I
conquered. I would forever keep the memory and the life lesson that
the experience gave me, which was to be calm and keep the spirits
high whenever and wherever.
My sophomore year has passed. Even though I have received
treasurable friendships, rectified petrifying mistakes, and learned
valuable lessons, I am more than ready to face my junior
year.
