As quarter one of the school year passes without any casualties, AHN students adjust to the changes that come with the transition into a new quarter. Expectations are raised and the training wheels are off, making students grapple for secure footing. Academically, the classes are designed to gradually increase in difficulty. However, it is not only this factor that makes the second quarter more challenging than the first.

“Personally, I always think that the farther you get into a year, the tougher it gets,” says AHN Junior Lexi Nieto. “Not only does the difficulty of the work increase but so does lack of enthusiasm and motivation. The excitement of a new year and new environment fades into the reality of increasing workloads.”

Likewise, teachers expect their students to be able to handle a larger amount of work. Quarter two provokes a “hit the ground running” mentality, yet some teens are sprinting while others are crawling. How the change in pace is received depends entirely on the students themselves.

Despite this rise in difficulty, some girls find that the shift in gear is a positive change. Freshman Valerie White feels that, “First quarter is more about getting good grades, I think, because this is the first set of grades that you receive and there is no ‘safety net’ to fall back on if you don’t do too well. Second quarter is more laid back because that fear is much less pressing.”

In many cases the students welcome the change in atmosphere, feeling as if they’ve finally begun to drift into their groove here at Academy. The new teachers have been met, the sets have been memorized, and everyone has found a comfortable place among the busy hallways. “In quarter one you feel more rushed,” says Freshman Eliya McDonald. “We were still trying to get used to the school and we were scared of everyone, but now we’ll say ,”Hi!”

Now that quarter two is well underway, changes can be expected from both the faculty and students here at Academy. However, these differences only further the academic growth within our school and prove to be just another step taken towards the ultimate goal; summer break.