Everyone wants the perfect high school experience – living out the adolescence that was sold to them through years of coming of age movies and shows. But actually achieving that can be a different story. To help, the Hawk Talk polled students, and here’s what Madison thinks are the top ten must-do activities before you graduate.
- Go on a Trip with Friends
Whether it’s going camping, a road trip or just driving around at night, by far the most responses were to go somewhere new or adventurous with friends. It makes sense – once students graduate and move off to different states and cities, it will be difficult to see each other regularly. It’s important to spend as much time with friends as possible during the last stretch of high school.
- Go to Prom/Homecoming
High school dances are one of the few opportunities to dress up and spend time with the people you’ve grown up with. Even if school dances aren’t exactly your thing, it’s popular to get dressed up as if you’re going and then head down to D.C. with friends to have dinner and take pictures. It’s a rare experience, and you don’t want to regret not taking advantage of the opportunity.
- See a High School Theater Production
If you want a fun night and to support the arts, then maybe seeing a high school theater production is for you.! Seeing a professional theater production can be expensive, but high school ones are significantly cheaper and are incredibly well made. Plus, it’s always good to see and support the productions that MAD Drama works so hard to make.
- Take Electives in New Subjects
High school is a time of exploration. It will never be so cheap or so easy to take a class in whichever subject you please, so you should use this time to try out something new that you wouldn’t have tried otherwise. At Madison, this could be something like art, psychology, or even an academy class like wood working.
- Take Risks
With college comes the need for independence, and independence requires confidence. It’s important to take risks in high school, like trying something new or going outside of your comfort zone. Having these experiences early on can allow you to learn from your mistakes while having a support system who can more readily help you back onto your feet.
