The following is an anonymous letter from a recently graduated Cobbler student.

Dear Young Freshman,

High School can be fun, and it can be tough, but mostly it’s going to be tough and not very much fun (Unless you know how to make it fun).  It is a long journey you’re going to have to take if you want to graduate and be successful in life. I know teachers and counselors put way too much on you all at once and it can be very overwhelming, but I’m here to give you the basic steps and guidelines you’re going to need if you want to graduate, and make it out of here alive.

1. First of all, stay close to your good friends. If you don’t have any, you need to make some as soon as possible, but don’t try too hard, or you’ll end up with none. The more close friends you have in high school the safer you are and the more fun you have.  You need good friends to have your back no matter what, to always be around when you’re going through tough times, and to make your high school life more enjoyable. Don’t be a loner!!
2. Talk to upperclassmen to see what teachers are good to take for each of your classes. You don’t want to have a teacher you’re not going to get along with or you’re just going to get in trouble with. When you have a fun teacher that still helps you learn, your classes will be more fun and enjoyable, and won’t tempt you to skip. Which brings me to my next point, don’t skip class!!
3. Skipping class is like smoking a cigarette, it’s highly addictive. Once you skip once you’re going to want to do it more and more, and eventually you won’t even want to go to class again, which will lead to you not graduating, and not having a successful life. Don’t skip class!!
4. Look at all your options when signing up for classes. If you can, I would recommend getting a fourth block off at least on one day. School gets boring, especially as a first year freshman. The more classes you can take off and still keep up with your credits, go for it. This will keep you from wanting to jump in front of a car by the end of the school day, and fewer finals if you have to take them.
5. Finals exemption is one of the good things we have at Central. I would highly recommend you do everything you can to be exempt from your finals. No one likes coming to more school and testing all day when you would rather be outside going to the lake and hanging with your friends. Get exempt; turn in all of your assignments, anything missing will take you right of the exemption list. Don’t skip school, any unexcused for the day will result in you testing all day long. Don’t be tardy, or miss class–trust me, having tardies will result in you taking the final.
6. Don’t sneak out for lunch. As freshman and sophomore, you do not have open campus lunch and are required to stay in the school building. You will always get caught, maybe not the first or second time, but eventually they will catch you. This will result in a detention or maybe even ISS, which also leads to you taking all your finals, and more school for you.
7. Keep your cool while you’re in school. If you’re having problems with another kid, let it go. If you get busted fighting in school, it’s an automatic two week suspension whether you started it or not.
8. Just because I said no fighting in school, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stand up for yourself. Don’t retaliate, but make your point clear and get it across that you’re not going to put up with their stuff. Once you act like a baby, and let people treat you bad, everyone’s going to start and rumors going to get around. Don’t take anyone’s crap!!
9. Rumors, they start off as little secrets and spread like a wildfire, trust me. Keep things to yourself, whether they’re true or not. One way or the other it’s going to get around and most of the time it ends up making your high school a living hell.
10. Finally, last thing I’m going to tell you is, just have fun. Keep things cool; make high school fun for yourself and your friends. Follow my basic guidelines to help you out and make high school that much easier for you, and have fun with your friends as much as you can. (Without getting into too much trouble of course).

You are probably thinking you’ll hate high school and you won’t be able to wait until you graduate, but you’re going to be sadly mistaken. High school is going to be one of the greatest times in your life, I can guarantee you that. This is the last time you can go out and still be a teenager doing all the fun things you like doing with your friends, because after high school, it’s time to grow up, be on your own, pay your own bills, and face the real world. If there’s one thing in these guidelines I want you to remember it’s the very first and most important step. FRIENDS! They are all what makes it fun and the best four years of your life. So go out, have fun follow these steps, and make these four years the most memorable of your entire life.