The Pepperbox

The Student News Site of Arcata High School

The Pepperbox

The Pepperbox

Navigating life and school after an attempt
Navigating life and school after an attempt
Ell Franklin and Anthony Vasek November 3, 2023
“I’ve been focusing more on myself and what I need because I used to be a really bad people pleaser. I’ve always put everyone else first before me.”
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The CCLL Leadership team 

(top row, left to right: Erika Homan, Carolyn van Mantgem, Melanie Zapper, Taylor Nada, Tim Clewell.
bottom row, left to right: Johanna Mauro, Fionn Conroy, Kayla Gaskill)
Hello CCLL!
Taylor Nada, Online Editor • December 7, 2023
This year, the Arcata Arts Institute joined a new program known as the Creative Careers Leadership Lab (CCLL), an organization aimed at helping art students gain skills to succeed in future careers in the arts.  
Pepperbox Broadcast
Pepperbox Broadcast
Rey Barber, Art Director • November 17, 2023
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had a broadcast,” Kloe Bryant said, “so it’s really just testing everything out,”
Difference Between America and Other Countries
Shu Yamashita November 14, 2023
“In Italy, we have just one class and the same classmates, we don’t change classes. We have been in the same class for four years. We have twelve subjects,”
Is study hall really for studying?
Kyndle Eisner, Production Manager • November 14, 2023
“I feel like it’s less strict than last year, but the pass system is stupid and doesn’t work.”

Day in the Life of a Freshman

“I feel like I don’t want to be there most of the time, but then I eventually end up feeling better,”

High school can be weird. For many, it’s a chaotic whirlwind of sleep deprivation, anxiety-inducing tests, and unwanted socialization, but it gets easier as the years go by. For those who are going to high school for the first time, it can be especially stressful and hard to get used to. So how do freshmen navigate high school? What does a typical school day look like for the average Arcata High freshman?

One anonymous freshman said that she usually starts her school day by waking up at around 7 A.M. After waking up, she begins getting ready for school – she does her hair, gets dressed, brushes her teeth, and checks her bag to ensure she has everything. After having some breakfast, she leaves for school.

The student said that she got lost a lot during the first week of school, but she eventually navigated the campus more easily. She also said walking to each class can be stressful because other students sometimes walk too slowly or mess around in the hallways.

“I feel like I don’t want to be there most of the time, but then I eventually end up feeling better,” the student said when asked how she usually feels throughout the day.

The student said that she is exhausted at the end of the day. At home, she rests for a while before starting her homework, which is usually just a math packet. After finishing her homework, she listens to music or paints.

She said that high school doesn’t feel very different from middle school but that she enjoys all of the class options. When asked what she dislikes about high school, she said her least favorite part is going up and down the stairs every day.

Freshman Kloe Bryant said that she also feels tired at the end of the day. “Especially on block days, it’s really hard for me. I can feel myself staring at the clock, counting down until class is out,” she said. When asked what motivates her to go to school, Bryant said, “I want to have good grades. It’s a big thing I strive for because I want to get into a four-year college, and so I’m there because I have to be.”

Bryant said that when she first started high school, she expected upperclassmen to be scary and to make fun of the freshmen because of the stereotypes she had seen in the media. Once she got used to high school, she realized that everyone was just doing their own thing and they didn’t care about what others were doing. “You kind of realize that everyone is here just trying to get by. It’s actually pretty easy and I feel like there are a lot of resources to help us,” Bryant said.

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About the Contributor
Scarlett Burns, Copy Editor
Scarlett Burns is a freshman, journalist, and aspiring author. She writes a lot in her free time and enjoys coming up with new plots and characters to use in her stories, and she is planning on writing her first official book soon. She believes in the importance of telling stories and wants to inspire others with her work. Scarlett plans on using her new role as a journalist to address and bring light to changes and issues at Arcata High. Although Scarlett’s previous work has been mostly fiction, she is open to the challenge of writing about different topics.
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