Upperclassmen Uncensored: #WeAreBlake

Trigger Warning for Unhealthy Eating Mentions:

How to not feel guilty about eating?/How to develop a healthier relationship with food?

Indira: Don’t be afraid to talk to people in your life about this for starters. There are counselors at school who will genuinely help you if you come to them with these issues (Ms. Hayes, and literally anyone else, they are there to help you.) I know everyone says they suck, but most people aren’t willing to advocate for themselves. That being said, if you need a therapist you can find one through the school. That being said, I would suggest practicing affirmations. I know it sounds stupid, but you have to remember that your dealing with a cognitive distortion regarding eating (google it). You have to try to challenge the thoughts you are having surrounding food, remember that you are doing what is good for your body and no one really cares how you look other than you. I know that doesn’t seem to help, but you just have to try. Try to find the cause of your issues and make sure to search on the internet for methods that work, because that’s just what helped me. Try this link to start with.

#Weareblake: How to show Blake pride?

Sofia: Adopt a bengal. Tattoo a Bengal on your body. Change your name to Bob Sinclair. Assert dominance. Never wear any other colors except white, blue, gray, and black.

Lauren: Become Benny the Bengal. Live, breathe, and enter the mindset of a bengal. The more connected you are with this savage beast, the better. Also, you could also buy more Blake merch, go to more Blake sponsored events, and don’t be afraid to show some school spirit. Especially at the next pep rally.

Alayna: ………Fantastic advice from Sofia and Lauren! On a more serious note though, it is sooo important to have school spirit. I feel like in high school everyone just wants to complain about their school and it’s like…… can you guys learn to have fun please. Having school spirit  makes your high school experience so much better. Dress up in your Blake merch and go to sports events to cheer on our teams! Go all out on spirit week! Make the most of your high school experience, cause it goes by way too fast :’ )

Sofia: Okay, yeah that’s so true. High school is only as fun as you make it, and if you kinda like, complain about everything being lame, you’re kinda like speaking a boring high school experience into existence lolllll. Also, there’s nothing like, embarrassing about having school spirit. I promise you’re not too cool to draw some dots on your face.

How do you get over drama that isn’t a big deal?

Reese: Take a breath. Not everything is about you. If that doesn’t work, get a second opinion! But also don’t forget you’re allowed to be upset. It may not be a big deal to anyone else but if it is to you then it’s worth feeling out. The issue won’t be resolved by you ignoring your or anyone else’s feelings.  

Mandy: Something that I’ve always done to avoid lingering over drama is thinking about the long term effects of it. If whatever’s going on isn’t going to matter in a year, then it’s not worth your time to dwell on. But like Reese said, it’s okay to be upset and feel your feelings about a situation. Try not to let it affect you severely though.

Alayna: Just like what Mandy said, try to take a step back and put everything in perspective. Think about how this drama will realistically affect you a few weeks from now, a few months from now, and so on. Chances are that’ll help you realize your drama isn’t too big of a deal. 

How would you go about correcting a teacher about your pronouns when you’ve already reminded them?

Lauren: Continue correcting them. It’s going to be annoying to constantly ask your teachers to respect your pronouns and use the right ones. If they don’t want to respect you and purposely don’t call you by your chosen pronouns then tell administration about, it or even go to the A4E sponsors Mrs. Wagner and Mrs.Hajjar about it. They will make sure that you get the respect that you deserve and will not make it into a big thing where it gets to the point where your parents are contacted; especially if you’re not out to your family.

Sofia: Lauren is so right, be as assertive as you can about it. People using the right pronouns for you is basic human decency, which everyone deserves. You aren’t a bad person for wanting to be respected. 

How do you go about doing group projects without having to pick up the slack of everyone else?

Lauren: Document the work you did. Tell the teacher about what you did and the work they didn’t. Most teachers will understand and give you the full credit for your work. It sucks when others don’t contribute but don’t let that be your downfall. 

Alayna: At the beginning of the project split up the work. Make it clear who is in charge of what and then only worry about your part. If they refuse to do any work you should probably talk to your teacher and let them know the issue.

Grey: If they don’t pick up the slack, you are allowed to hunt them for sport. 

How do you know when to break up with someone?

Lauren: Listen to your emotions. Do you believe that this relationship is something you want to continue? If you are doubting your relationship, really think why. Does this person treat you properly? Are you happy with your current situation? Is this something you can fix with your significant other? You know your relationship the best, if you think that it should come to an end, then that’s probably the best. 

Indira: You need to do what is best for you. In a relationship, you need to make sure you are actually gaining something. Otherwise just drop them, treat relationships in highschool like a dating app, it doesn’t have to be serious yet, just have fun!

How to practice communism?

Reese: Idk man 

Grey: Eat the rich.

Sofia: Communal Food. 

Indira: Find little ways to annoy others by pointing out the capitalistic things they do in a day. 

What’s your favorite pokemon? (very important)

Mandy: Torchic. Grew up playing pokemon ruby so he’s my favorite (fire starters < 3)

Grey: Mudkip. He’s the best pokemon and I will not debate this. 

Sofia: Oh, I’ve never seen Yugi-Oh lol.

Reese: My brother took my Pikachu stuffie. Don’t think I’d forget, Cole.

Lauren: If I say Eevee, am I valid? 

Indira: Lauren is valid, Eevee is pretty. #NotAFurry

How long does it usually take to make an article?

Sofia: It depends on the writer! For me, there are a lot of factors. How interesting what I’m writing about is, how much motivation I have, when it’s scheduled to go up, the editing process, and etc., are just some aspects that contribute to how long an article takes. When I feel really strongly about a subject, or if it’s a short little update, I can bust out an article in a couple hours. When it’s something on the more boring and long side, I’ll slack a little.

Grey: Depends on how much I feel like writing that day.

Reese: What Sofia said, if it’s timely we force ourselves to get it out. I like lil news updates cause they’re so short and take less than an hour to write but still get the point across. 

Alayna: If I’m passionate about it, like less than an hour. If it’s something I have to do a ton of research/interviews for (or if it’s boring) it could take over a week. 

How do I fight procrastination? Every time I open my computer, I just have the urge to play instead of doing my work/What are some tips you have to focus on work that you don’t find interesting?/How do you stop procrastinating?

Sofia: Don’t do it LOL. Just kidding, no that’s bad, please do your work. But what I like to do is give myself an incentive to earn so I can work towards it. I also focus on how good I will feel when I finish my work. I also like, throw (not actually, I’m not made of money) my phone across the room when I’m doing my homework so I won’t get distracted. As much as I want to use it, I won’t get up to get my phone LOL. If it’s not too interesting, I play music in the background to liven things up and take breaks in-between. Also! I’m not sure if you believe in these, but I watch subliminals on YouTube for good studying habits LOL and I think they help a lot. I recommend fairysbs and meisubs as starter channels!! Writing affirmations is also good too!! It’s psychologically proven that affirmations have benefits and are good tools in fostering mental change!!! Personally, I always feel really good when I know I’m being productive. I think adopting a mindset of wanting to work hard is really important. Tell yourself that you’re capable of being as productive as possible, and your brain will eventually follow suit!!

Grey: I don’t know either. 

Indira: Think about your goal before you start. Make a list of what you have to do, and think about what you gain from doing it. If you’re an underclassmen, think of it like this, everything you’re doing now will help you when you’re a junior or senior. It’ll build your work ethic and give you skills for the future. Keep your goals in mind whenever you do anything, at least that’s what works for me. You got this!

Do you have any tips on how to choose a career path for the rest of your life?

Grey: You don’t need to know what you’re gonna do right away. It’s very normal for people to change their majors and some colleges discourage you from choosing your major early on. Think about what careers would seem like a good fit for you, but don’t limit yourself to just one possibility. It’s sometimes beneficial to have a grab-bag of careers you think you’d be okay with, and choose one later on. Also remember that it’s never too late to change your mind. 

Reese: Literally exactly what Grey said. Focus on one thing you’re interested in at a time and you’ll see how many careers and jobs they’re are doing something you love. Don’t settle. I mixed my love of writing/reporting with talking to people and I got journalist! Once you know, you know. 

Sofia: And there’s so many possibilities in the world, so even if you have a primary career, you can pursue things outside of that! I plan on going to college to become a nurse, but I also still plan to continue writing for my college’s newspaper. 

Mandy: A lot of people only find out what they want to do later in life! I’m sure you constantly hear about people switching their majors in college because all of a sudden they realize they don’t want to pursue whatever career they had decided on previously. You have time to explore your interests, and arguably more importantly, find out what you’re not interested in. I’m sure there’s a lot of pressure to know exactly what you want to do with your life right now, but you have plenty of time to figure that out.