This was our final year before IB, or as upperclassmen would say, our final year without constant stress and flashing visions of our impending death. This was our easy year, so we hoped you took the extra time to get prepped and prepared for IB.

So many wonderful things have happened to us sophomores this year, such as not being a freshman anymore (thank god). Our bond as a class grew stronger as we faced and defeated yet another school year, and this will only continue as we become Juniors and start dying (finally).

No matter how difficult next year’s IB may be, remember that we have so many things to look forward to. There’s getting the status of upperclassmen, IB, prom, and CAS, among many other exhilarating experiences. All jokes aside, these next two years are going to be hectic. Our patience will definitely be tested, and with all the workload that we will have on us, make sure to take the time to de-stress next year.

Remember to make and cherish memories at ISB in the coming years, as all seniors will know how time quickly passes by. With that same sentiment, remember to get started on looking at universities. College applications will probably come smashing into us headfirst, so I guess we also have that to look forward to.

We’re going to be prepping for the real SAT and ACT. Whether you’ve been studying since freshman year or haven’t studied at all, you’ll be taking one of the biggest tests of your life this year. It’s going to be challenging for even the smartest students in our class, so we should prepare ourselves to spend a good amount of time this year studying.

Our classes are going to get harder. It’s IB! We’ve all heard the stories. It’s up to you if you actually believe them or not, but our mindset going into our new nice and shiny HL and SL classes will have a bigger impact than you think.

College. Now is the time to start thinking about it. We’ve heard the college talk since grade nine, and now it’s starting to become very real. We can check out college tours, explore our options, or maybe even decide whether we actually want to go – after all, it isn’t for everyone. High school, as much as it feels like it will, won’t last forever, and eventually, we all have to leave.

We’ll be having our first (official) prom. This isn’t something that causes most people a lot of stress – instead, it’s something that we’ll get to have fun with, and it will be an amazing memory in the future.

Our sports teams are going to require commitment. It’s so easy to make up an excuse to skip out on a practice because we’ve got too much work. But once we’ve made the choice to stick with a sport, we should make sure to really dedicate ourselves (and remember how great it will look on college apps!).

Cheers to our last year of relatively little stress and good luck in finals!

From the Sophomores of PantherNation