World's Best Junior-Year Lasanga

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                        World's Best Junior-Year Lasagna

                                                Chef Chelsey Chambers


The Origin

    Oh sweet, sweet junior year, one of the best and worst years of my life. My schedule this school year was jammed packed, both with things that brought me joy and things that made me dread my 5:30am alarm, like how your mom's classic lasagna recipe had the delicious red sauce🍅 layered with overcooked, slimy pasta.

     I felt lots of stress from being overbooked this year, but when I wasn't worrying about my time management, I really enjoyed almost everything I experienced throughout the school year. The unenjoyable activities I participated in included SAT preparation and testing, countless hours spent in my guidance counselor's office, and joining the National Honors Society (Is it a cult? Nobody knows to this day.).

  
     However, the red sauce of my junior year consisted of hanging out with my friends👯 all the time, being more involved in school events, being able to drive myself places, and working several days a week to stay busy. When things did get hard though, this recipe helped guide me through my stress by assisting me in managing the free time that I did have available so I could attend to other things, like chores, errands, and spending time with my friends and family.  

 

Okay okay, I know what you’re all here for. Here’s my recipe for the most delicious junior year lasagna:




Ingredients:

  • 1 planner (can be substituted with a google calendar📅)
  • 1 khan academy account
  • hard work/discipline
  • 1 pad of sticky notes📔 (preferably purple)                      
  • 1 black pen
  • 1 Gmail account
  • communication skills
  • 10 fingers✋✋

Directions:
  1. Start the school year off with a new planner (or a google calendar if a planner isn't in you back-to-school budget). Write down everything you possibly can, even if it feels light years away. This includes any important dates you can find on your class syllabi, your district's calendars for the school year, and even the calendar that your mom keeps taped up in the kitchen. By the end of this you should be able to identify what days you will have exams or big assignments due, when you will have off of school, and when Aunt Becky's birthday is (since you probably forgot to call her and wish her happy birthday🎈 last year).
  2. Next, every night you are going to want to set aside 5 minutes to analyze the next day ahead of you. Going through your next day step-by-step really helps to alleviate any stress about time or having "too much to do". Here is when I like to utilize my purple sticky notes and the most reliable companion one could ask for (a black Paper Mate Ink Joy Gel pen with a medium point🖊). In retrospect, the color of the post-it pack is not significant, but it sure does look prettier than those heinous neon yellow notes.
        

Anyways...during times where I know I am going to be especially busy and feeling overwhelmed, I will use my sticky notes to write specific to-do lists for myself. These act like a mini version of my planner that contain more detail because they are each written for one day. These lists encompass anything I could possibly need to do the next day, from clipping my cat's nails, to washing my water bottle, to my Human Nutrition final. Although it may sound silly that all these things need to be written out for me to remember them💭, my post-its help me clear my mind, because I can trust that everything I am trying to remember is out in front of me, on paper. 


    2. 3. Third is the dreaded Khan Academy. Your usage of this website can make or break your junior year. As what many would call "the best SAT study material", there is nothing more exasperating than practicing questions identical to those on a three-hour test.

    3.         

  2. that is designed to wear you out. However, in my experience, this hard work and commitment is 100% worthwhile. Khan Academy is a fantastic study tool for the SAT, providing endless practice problems/tests, explanations, and lessons, all free of charge. This step may feel vexing, but the SAT can provide you with important data for college applications and scholarships.  


  4. 4. Fourth, your communication skills, Gmail account, and ten typing fingers come into play. The end of junior year can be a stressful time, when you will likely start preparing for your future after high school, whether you want to start a rubber ducky business immediately post-graduation, or if you want to get a Ph.D. in bowling🎳 management services. Any future career starts with communication with your guidance counselor, who will help you pick the appropriate courses for your senior year that will allow you to graduate and pursue your chosen path. This is a vital part of the recipe, because it's incredibly easy to miss an art🎨 credit or an online course credit that could hold you back from graduation. Personally, my own counselor gave me much-needed guidance so I could sign up for online dual-enrollment classes that aligned with my future career goals. 


  1. 5. Last but certainly not least, hard work and discipline are essential for the success of your junior year. Otherwise, your lasagna will burn to the point where it looks like nothing more than a block of coal.


  4. You must put effort into your classes and extracurriculars, by completing all your assigned work on time, studying for tests, and trying your best in after-school activities. Have the discipline to attend elective activities and opportunities that will enrich both your college applications and your mind. This could be anything from joining a club, volunteering to play with kittens🐈 at an animal shelter or starting a charity. Although attending an NHS meeting may be the last thing you want to do after school, these things can be very beneficial for your future. 


    And there you have it folks! The perfect amount of sugar and spice to whip up the most delicious junior year lasagna, free of silent treatments from Aunt Becky or any Fs on your report card. Good luck and remember to give this recipe 5 stars and share it with friends if it makes your junior year of high school paradise 💪.

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