Ryan Lewis:
What does your average day as a Springfielder look like?
“My days have been pretty chill so far,” Lewis, a freshman at Springfield, told us. He explained that his days begin early, with him waking up at “5:45″ to “shower, eat breakfast, brush [his teeth],” and then “get on the bus and go to school.” Lewis believes in a schedule and tries to maintain a daily routine to stay on top of his academics. After school, like many other Spartans, Lewis participates in high school sports. He plays varsity for the boys soccer team, and explains that, “some days we have intense practices or very difficult games, so [he] need[s] time to rest and chill when [he gets] home.”
How does school influence your life outside the classroom?
School shifts Lewis’s focus from friends and family to a more work-oriented mindset, as he says he has “more classes to focus on and more work to do, which takes up most of [his] day.” Most students can relate to this shift in focus, and other students who have moved schools in the past can relate with Lewis, as well, as he “used to live in Cheltenham, and now [lives] in Springfield, and [he] can’t talk to [his] friends as often as he used to.”
What is your plan with managing stress and getting used to the new environment in high school?
Lewis says his go-to plan for dealing with stress is “getting [his] work done as quickly as possible, so there’s nothing for [him] to stress about in the long run.” Lewis believes this is essential to his academic career, as he doesn’t like procrastinating and leaving things until the last minute. When asked about the new environment of the high school, Lewis explained, “The new environment isn’t too much of a challenge for [him], because [he] shadowed [Springfield High School] twice and it really helped [him] get accustomed to the way of life in the high school.” Lewis’s number one piece of advice to eighth-graders is to sign up for these shadow trips.
Sophie Sussman
What does your average day as a Springfielder look like?
Sophie Sussman, a junior, starts her day bright and early at 6 am and ends it late at night, usually around midnight.” Sussman has an after-school job at “Enza from 4-8pm,” which takes up a lot of her after-school time. Sussman has been upset at the lack of free time she has had for herself this year, which many juniors and seniors can relate to.
How does the start of junior year compare to your sophomore year?
“Last year was a lot easier, I barely had any homework, and my classes weren’t too hard,” Sussman states, while also explaining that “this year is completely different” because of her challenging “AP U.S. History and AP Stat” classes.
How has this increased workload affected outside commitments?
“I barely go on my phone anymore,” Sussman mentions, explaining that she “goes to school, works, does homework, and goes to bed.” While she thinks limited screen time may be a good thing, as it increases focus on academics, Sussman also believes that the ability to use her phone and relax is something that all students should enjoy, and is “annoyed that [she] is restricted from her phone due to time constraints.”
Thank you, Ryan and Sophie, and good luck with your year!
