The typical person thinks of the year as January through December, but for students, the school calendar is August to May, and unfortunately for us, June. No matter what, we can all agree that January is full of new beginnings for both calendars, the start of a new year, and the start of a new semester. Students have reviewed their first-semester report cards and had some time to reflect, adjust their schedules, and take any other necessary actions to help them be successful in 2025. Let’s examine the challenges students encountered in the fall and their goals for the second semester.
During our first weeks back, Pirate Press surveyed students, asking several questions concerning grades and goals for the current semester. About forty percent of students surveyed indicated that they struggled with their math class the most first semester, followed by science, social studies, and finally ELA. Electives were the least struggled with course, with just four percent of students stating they struggled to keep up. With that, you would assume that electives were some of the easiest subjects, right? Shockingly no, twenty-eight percent of students surveyed said that their easiest class was social studies. The least easy class was a three-way tie between, math, science, and ELA with 16 percent.
Most if not all PHS student’s schedules experienced schedule changes from the first semester. 76 percent of students say that they are excited about their new electives, 8 percent have a new social studies course on their schedule, and 16 percent say they didn’t have any new courses that attract their interest.
The new year brings new goals and students indicated several goals they will be striving for this semester. About forty-four percent of students surveyed said that their goal for the second semester is to only get A’s and B’s in their classes. Other goals included overcoming procrastination, increasing determination, retaining information, and submitting work on time. Based on the results, students have plenty of ways they would approach the semester differently. 36 percent of students say that they want to stop being distracted, while others provided different answers. Some students say that they’ve learned their lesson about procrastination over the last few years in high school, and others say they need more sleep- especially with a larger workload in the second semester. Freshman, Tyler Gordon said, “ I just get tired after school and end up taking a nap when I should be doing my homework.”
With the second semester in full swing, students have the opportunity to start fresh. Some important dates are coming up; grading period five ends on February 13th and registration activities are set to begin Jan. 30th. Be on the lookout for updates and consider your academic goals when selecting courses for 2025-2026.
