Juniors

Juniors Lillie Flagel, Aggie Fitch, and Layla Kanaan have fun
during their first day in green
Photo by Lee Rost

You're halfway there! You survived the excitement and new challenges of Freshman year and survived the new classes and stresses of Sophomore year. You are also now an upper class man(; This year you will probably face some of the most challenging things thus far. Between classes, friendship, and thinking about college, you are going to have a bumpy road ahead of you. But don't let this scare you! You WILL get through this year. SMA is aware of the struggles of Junior year, that is why we have Encounter<3

There's always someone there for you(:

You have so many different people rooting for you who are also there for you to talk to. If you don't feel like venting to friends or family, you always have the SMA counselors to talk to. They are extremely nonjudgemental and will listen to whatever you have to say. Feel free to go into their office (located on the third floor) or shoot them an email.

http://www.stmaryspdx.org/student_life/counseling

A grouup of juniors feel the love together during break
Photo by Lee Rost.

 

Junior Encounter!

I can say, from personal experience, that this is a life changing retreat. It is over a period of two nights and you are NEVER bored. From group sessions, adventuring around the camp, hanging out with friends in your cabins, and EATING A TON OF FOOD, you will have a good time. As long as you come to this retreat with an open heart and mind, it will open your eyes to so many different things in life. You will get to know your peers in deep, personal ways and be able to reflect on your own life. You do not have to be religious to attend. Just like the Sophomore Retreat, this is pretty much student lead. Also, WHAT IS SAID IN YOUR GROUP, STAYS IN YOUR GROUP. If you are willing, you can share personal experiences and your group members, leader, and teacher will not share it with anyone else. Everyone is very sensitive to each others feelings and you will not be judged. And yes, there is a lot of crying(;

Death by Research Paper. What a Myth...

This is only said to scare you. You're teachers give you a schedule, right at the beginning, with due dates and guidelines. They are there for you in each step of the way. They break the paper up into research, research notes, a couple theses, an outline, a detailed outline, rough draft of the paper, and the final paper. There are probably a few things that I'm missing, but you get the point that you aren't just left alone to write a big paper. When it comes time to work on your final draft, you have detailed peer edits where they can give you helpful advice. Also, you will have a meeting or two with your teacher so she can look over it and give you a few tips. Don't be afraid to ask other teachers to edit your paper! If they have time, they will be totally willing to! And just because you have other people proof reading it, doesn't mean you don't have to! READ IT OUT LOUD! Do this a few times to check how it sounds and the flow of it. You will also be able to catch grammar errors and misspellings fairly easy. When you first hear about the paper, you want to rip your hair out and scream, but if you follow the due dates and spend time on your detailed outline and SITE YOUR SOURCES, you will be absolutely fine(: