“How should I deal with the drama between my friends or my friend group?”

Dear friend stuck in the middle,

Drama can be very tiring and, well, dramatic. You can deal with drama by taking a friend break or distancing yourself from the drama. This doesn’t mean cutting all of your friends off, but instead just taking a good breather. You can also talk to your friends about how you feel about the drama. Maybe seeing how it impacts you and why it’s silly that there’s even drama in the first place will put things into perspective for them. Good luck and hang in there!

“How do I get everything back on track and stay on top of doing my homework?”

Dear struggling student,

When it comes to school, stress can follow. When I lost track of my grades this school year, I checked what I had missed or what I needed to fix. I wrote down everything I needed to do in the notes section of my planner and crossed them out when I had completed them to show what I had to do. I talked to all of my teachers and made a plan with them on how to figure out how to avoid falling behind again. You can stay on top of your school work by getting a planner and being more organized. Get a folder or binder and put all of your homework in there and turn in everything when completed. Good luck! And remember you can get a planner in room 206 or in the Athletics Office.

“How do I strike up a conversation with new people?”

Dear shy friend,

A way that you can strike up a conversation is by complimenting others. You could also find people with whom you may have something in common. To strike up a new conversation, you can talk about school or your weekend. You can also try telling them about a funny story that might’ve happened. Social media is a big ice breaker as well; talk about a celebrity or the latest trend on Tik Tok. I hope you make new friends and know how to talk to people now!