Students and Teachers Resolved to Improve in 2021

By Hayley Rea--Eagle Staff Writer

With the new year having arrived in a hurry, students and teachers on campus such as Mackenzi Kendall, Shyanna Dooley, and Cathy Pinkley are starting in on their resolutions for 2021.

“For my new year’s resolution, I’m going to try my hardest to appreciate everything around me and avoid worrying about other people’s opinions,” explained senior Sierra Hamilton.

Many seniors on campus have dedicated 2021 to focusing on their education as they graduate and move on to college.

“A plan for 2021 is to finish school and graduate, then start a new chapter of my life [at] medical school to become a nurse and hopefully one day be successful in life,” senior Shyanna Dooley commented about her plans after high school.

Unlike this year’s seniors, Foreign Language teacher Cathy Pinkley is looking forward to spending some time away from the stress of educating during the pandemic.

“I would really, really love to get away from the computer,” Pinkley explained.

However, not everyone is headed in the same direction. For senior Stewart Werner, his hopes for this year involve his future career in music after his performance with Colby Helms at the last school talent show.

“Musically speaking, I’m hoping to branch out to new venues with Colby and see if he and I can get something recorded in a studio! With something on CD like that, we’d be able to send those tracks into places that host live music. That way, they can give us a listen and see if they want to host us,” Werner commented.

For others, the new year will focus more on taking care of themselves after the experiences endured during 2020.

“My resolution for the New Year is to re-focus on my health and wellness. I would like to make proper nutrition and exercise routines to become a daily habit and goal,” explained Pinkley.

Fitness and wellness are a common goal among students and teachers alike for 2021.

“I am hoping to start exercising more this coming year,” said senior Skyler Light.

Since the pandemic came about, some students have had to give up their extracurricular activities, which leaves the new year open to rediscover their previous passions.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to dance again and catch up on some Spanish,” sophomore Mackenzi Kendall commented.

For teachers, the extra workload with the past year’s hybrid school schedule has taken up most of the free time they may have previously had to dedicate to their own interests.

“For 2021, I plan to read a book a month--even during the school year! I love to read, and definitely get my fill over the summer, but I have neglected reading during the school year because I’ve been spending more time creating modules, grading and Zooming,” Laura Bird, a Spanish teacher, explained.

Not everyone has a specific goal in mind for this year. For senior Maddie Piper, 2021 is more about sticking to her inner strength and positivity.

“My new year’s resolution is ‘no matter what happens, no matter how hard things get, don’t give up and just keep trying’,” replied Piper.

For many people, the focus for 2021 is to find some hope and positivity and start over after the events of this year took over their lives.

“I guess one hope I have for the new year is that it’s a lot better than this year was,” senior Mason Dixon concluded.