It’s only the second month of school and I’m already counting down the days until summer. How did it go so quickly? We need a “transition period” back into the requirements of high school.  It’s too difficult to go directly from summer fun to classroom assignments, homework and cafeteria food. Almost without warning, that fateful day Aug. 27 marked the end of summer and the beginning of the school year for students and teachers alike.

We are all exhausted. Students are not accustomed to waking up at 6 a.m. for school. The morning starts with that infuriating beeping sound coming from the plastic digital alarm clock. I have to refrain myself from heaving it across my room, in a perfect spiral, just like RG III. Instead, I take a deep breath, swung my legs over the side of the bed to the floor and begin my normal morning routine.

I’m a junior now, and after two years of hearing how challenging this year will be, the stress is already overwhelming. Should I have cereal or a toasted bagel for breakfast? These decisions are too much to ask for.

As I approached the bus stop, I remembered: now an upper classman, I am officially allowed to sit in the back of the bus. Yes!  I no longer have to sit up front with the wide-eyed freshmen and sophomores.  The remainder of the bus appears to be filled with half-sleeping zombies.

We arrive at school and I contemplate whether to grab a map just to be sure I get around CHS looking like I know what I am doing.  I would never want to be mistaken as an incoming student because that would be insulting.

For the second time that morning, a smile is on my face.  I see my friends and I take a seat at our usual morning spot.  We caught up with each other’s summer activities, laugh a bit and ask about classes. Eventually the bell rings and we get up to start heading to our first period.

My designated locker number is on the other side of the school—fantastic.  I groggily walked to the foreign language hallway where it’s located and attempted to open it. Let’s see—two turns to the right, one to the left, one more time to the right and the locker gets stuck.  I re-try the combination and I am beyond frustrated at the blue metal container that will not accept the contents of my backpack.

I earned my driving learner’s permit in late July and I’m eagerly racking up the driving hours. But I’ve never faced traffic congestion like we all see in-between classes in the hallways. What gives? Can’t we walk to class without stopping to gawk at the collision between two freshmen by the Media Center? Move on people—there’s nothing to see.

Lunch hits and I again have another realization—I am old enough to sit in the cafeteria.  It is one of the many unwritten rules of CHS that juniors are permitted to sit in the cafeteria as opposed to the claustrophobia-inducing cubicles that line the hallways.  This is turning out to be better than expected.

Although summer is over, the year is looking like it might be a really good one.  Football games are every Friday, homecoming is around the corner, and so many other events are in the near future.  And hey, there are only 43 weeks until summer starts up again.