Whether or not you consciously make a New Year’s resolution, everyone has something that they would like to work on. Remember, while the New Year is an optimal opportunity to commit to new goals, it is never too late at any point in the year to start.

We asked teachers and students what their New Year’s resolutions were, and while some didn’t have any at all, many did.

Ms. Smith’s New Year's resolutions included improving her posture in order to help her “grow” taller, drink more water because it’s good for your skin, and be better about keeping in touch with friends. She says that it’s important to maintain relationships even if you’re a thousand miles away.

Both Emily Atkins and Aunty Anela’s goals are to exercise more. Emily wants to do this because she is “unfit” and Aunty Anela’s reason is “to feel better.” Exercise is important for staying healthy and active. Emily recommends that going on walks is a great starter. On the other hand, Mr. Naj says that he needs to rest more and be more consistent with taking days off from exercise, which he realized after his bicycling accident. In order to achieve this goal, he is trying to take an exercise break every 3-4 days and is doing very well.

On a more school-related note, a resolution that a lot of students can agree on is that we all need more organization in our lives, just like sophomore Arthur Taylor. In this upcoming year, he hopes to work harder and be more organized because creating those kinds of habits will improve his “schoolwork and life overall.” While he’s not doing too well on accomplishing those resolutions, both him and classmate Spencer Thomas are on their way of completing those goals.

Robert Mcintosh is looking to master a recipe in cooking because it’s fun, get better at biking so that he can go to more places with his parents, and learn the rules for football in order to play with friends. His sister, Gibson, would like to get a faster time in the 50 meter freestyle in swimming since she’s been trying to break her current time for 2 years. She plans on accomplishing this goal by going to every single swim practice.

Isabella Russo is hoping to learn American Sign Language. She thinks that “more people should know how to do ASL because it's the only way to communicate for some people and it’s a good skill to have.” To start this process, she says she is going to find some online courses and practice at least four times a week with her friends.

Ms. Higgins is wanting to “do more and buy less” because she feels that experiences are the most important. “[Her] kids are not going to remember that [she] bought them a switch or a Xbox, but they will remember something like a trip.” To accomplish this, she is saving money to go on a trip, which goes hand in hand with buying less.

While some students are focused on exercising and improving their social life, Noe Mitchell and Fatu Fuga are looking towards the future. Noe is hoping to get into college and improve her work ethic in order to prepare for when she’s in college. She also wants to spend more time with family, be happy, and stay living. Fatu is working towards making the national soccer team that he’s trying out for because he “wants to go pro in the future and getting into a high level team is the first step.” In order to do this, he’s training and trying to do his best.

Committing to a New Year’s Resolution is difficult in it of itself, but it’s a great way to set goals. We wish all the best to everyone who has a New Year’s resolution.

Happy New Year!