ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS
By Jemma Meacham, junior
High school students should learn multiple skills to help them become successful in their futures, but three specific skills are more important than others. One of the skills that is essential for students to be successful is to learn time management. Time management is important for everyday life. If students have poor time management, then it can start to negatively affect them in many ways.
Another important skill for high school students to learn is organization because it will make their lives easier.
The third skill that is particularly important for high school students to learn is effective communication, which is needed in everyday life.
Being organized has many benefits that can help students in the future and that are essential for day-to-day life. Those three skills are especially important for students to become successful in their futures.
Learning time management is essential for students to learn in order to deal with everyday tasks such as going to school or work on time. They have to have at least some time managing skills, because if they don’t, they may find themselves in a bad position where they are frequently late or are in a rush. Another benefit of students gaining time management skills is that it can help them become less stressed. By not having to rush assignments or having to hurry up to get something done, they will find they are a lot less stressed and have more free time. By fixing unhealthy habits like tardiness, students will also have more opportunities in their futures because by being on time they will be seen as responsible and reliable, which are good traits to have. So, time management skills are especially important for high school students to learn because of all the positive things that come from it.
High school students also should learn organization skills, because being organized helps students in many ways. An example of how this skill can help students is by being able to organize their schoolwork and assignments they should be able to keep track of everything and they are more likely to get their work done on time and not lose it. Another example would be organizing their personal belongings, which is important in all aspects of life because if they are constantly losing things, it can become frustrating and can cause them to take extra time trying to find their things, which can cause them to be late and is overall just an inconvenience. Organization skills are make students look good. By being organized, students will seem more put together, and it can also make them seem more responsible because they are not constantly losing things. Being organized can also positively affect students’ mental health because being in an organized and clean environment can help students become more focused and give them an overall better mood. By having organizational skills, students can improve their overall performance and mental health.
Communication is the third skill that is most important for high school students to learn because students need to be able to effectively communicate with others because communicating with others is something that students do daily. Students need to be able to communicate properly because if they cannot, they may have issues with social isolation, which can poorly affect their mental health. Communication skills are also important because students need to be able to communicate with their classmates and teachers daily to complete assignments and engage in class discussions. So, communication skills are essential for high school students to have because they are used so often.
In conclusion, communication, time management and organization skills are important for high school students to develop because of their importance and because of how often they come up in daily life. These three skills are essential for high school students to be successful in their futures.
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WHY STUDENTS SHOULD TAKE SCIENCE CLASSES
By Holliday Mertens, sophomore, staff writer
Science is one of the main four subjects in American schools, alongside math, English and history. Students can take many different branches of science-related classes at Panorama. Biology-related classes that are available include regional biology, environmental biology, anatomy and physiology, and regular biology. There are also other science classes, like physical science, chemistry, and physics.
There are many arguments that can be made on why science is the most important subject in school. First, students who take science and do well can make better-informed decisions on their surroundings. Students can also develop new skills they didn’t even know they were capable of. They will be better at problem-solving as well due to a lot of science classes requiring problem-solving. For students with high curiosity levels, science will be a great class to satisfy their curiosity and answer questions. Finally, students will be able to tell the difference between truth and lies more often if they take science classes. There are many more reasons why students should take science, as well.
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BENEFITS OF LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE IN HIGH SCHOOL
By Nerea Gimeno-Perez, sophomore, staff writer
At Panorama Schools, we learn a second language, Spanish, which can be beneficial in various ways. Learning Spanish not only enhances communication abilities but also provides numerous opportunities in life. Although many students find it challenging, the long-term benefits make it worthwhile. It opens doors to new perspectives, traditions and ways of life. Students who learn a second language often perform better in other subjects. In conclusion, the advantages of learning a second language in school go far beyond the ability to communicate in another language.
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WHAT MAKES THE PANORAMA SCHOOL DISTRICT UNIQUE?
By Blake Smith, sophomore, staff writer
I attend Panorama High School, and I´ve learned there are many unique things about our district. For one, the staff is kind and reliable. For example, if a student is having trouble of any kind here, the staff will gladly help them with whatever is troubling them. Another unique thing about this school is the opportunities it provides its students with. For instance, there are many college representatives from around Iowa who come to meet with students to open their eyes to the possibilities of college. Also, there are college trips where somebody at the college will give participating students a tour of campus. This is good because it helps students to consider their next step in life. Another unique aspect of Panorama is the immersive experience of many of the classes. For example, the shop teacher, Mr. Osbahr, has his curriculum filled to the brim with activities and projects. A final positive abnormality of our school is the inclusive set of students. For example, at a football game, there is a high likelihood of somebody or everybody inviting you into the student section. These are a few amazing qualities of many at Panorama High School.
These positive attributes of our district are all important, but what if we didn’t have these qualities? Well, to answer that question, it wouldn’t be pretty; not horrible, but not very good either. For one, if the staff wasn’t kind and understanding, the students may feel less safe and less trusting. Another negative if we didn’t have these positive qualities would be that if we didn’t have many opportunities for students, they may have a tough time figuring out what they want to do after high school. A third negative would come to be the lack of immersiveness in our lessons. For example, students who have a more hands-on learning style may struggle more than those who learn better listening. This is a small amount of the possible negatives of not having a good district.
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PROS OF TAKING CARPENTRY CLASS
By Henry Kallhoff, sophomore, staff writer
At first, you may think carpentry class may be boring and useless, but after about two months of class experience, you would learn it is quite the opposite. Many life lessons are taught in the class including how to use saws and how to create concrete, as there will always be things to keep you occupied in the class. Here are some of my opinions about the class.
It has been great for someone like me who is still undecided about a career choice. It helps me understand the basics of building materials and doing research seeing what needs to be done. There is a lot of hands-on work to do in the class, and it is important to listen to directions and be communicative when doing important work. If you don’t follow the directions, it becomes confusing, and you eventually fall back quickly. Along with that, Mr. Osbahr has been a fantastic teacher and has taught me and other students valuable information about carpentry. I highly recommend other students take the class and start becoming more active in working with machinery.
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IMPORTANCE OF TAKING HISTORY CLASSES
By Holliday Mertens, sophomore, staff writer
History is one of the four main subjects in school, alongside math, English, and science. History is arguably the most important subject in school due to the lessons it teaches. They say if you don’t know history, especially the bad things, you are doomed to repeat it. Learning history is important to avoid making the same mistakes people in the past did. If you want to take a history class, there are many to choose from.
World history is one of the classes you can take. You learn many things from prehistory to the end of World War II. If you want to go past World War II, you can also take a Cold War class, which focuses on the titular era from 1947 to 1991. To focus specifically on our country, you can take a U.S. history class after world history. Learning about future history is also an option with modern problems. In order to learn useful lessons and prevent the past from repeating, you should take a class on history.
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A SCHOOL’S ENVIRONMENT CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON LEARNING
By Blake Smith, sophomore, staff writer
School has many aspects of its environment that can be seen as positive or negative by different people. One positive aspect that could be taken away from a learning environment is the amount of people around to help someone complete a problem or answer a question. This, for many, is a positive thing. But, for some, it can be scary and detrimental to be around so many people for reasons such as the possibility of sickness and general social awareness. Finally, with larger classrooms, students can feel more comfortable in the fact that they aren’t taking up too much space and aren´t hindering other students’ movement. In conclusion, there is a split in positivity and negativity in classroom environments.
There are many ways in which schools and teachers can alter the environment in which students are taught. First, a teacher organizing a classroom to have more spacing between desks and tables allows for more room to complete work and tasks. This allows the students to get more work done and, overall, allows the teacher to get more done to enhance student learning. Second, if hallways in a school building were built bigger and with more space, students could get to class faster and, overall, be in a better mood, being able to walk as fast as they would like to. Third, if students were able to have areas where, after school, they were allowed to go to study and catch up on any missing assignments and work they have, they could have a less stressful time going through high school.