OHSers’ New Year’s Resolutions
Signifying both closure as well as a new beginning, the end of the year provides an opportunity to reflect on the past year and set intentions for the next. Many OHSers used the new year to do just that, and below are their 2020 reflections and 2021 resolutions.
The year 2020 presented new challenges for all, and OHSers agreed that it was a tough year overall. As the pandemic significantly reduced most social interaction, with mandatory social distancing and stay-at-home orders, 2020 left some OHS students feeling lonely and isolated. One OHSer explained, “It was sad, because I didn't get to see my friends very often and the 2019-2020 school year was cut off. I also missed a lot of my sports training due to the pandemic.” Another OHS student shares that the year was challenging “mostly due to the academics at OHS.”
Many OHSers, however, found an optimistic outlook when reflecting on the year. Despite the difficult times, these students recognized that 2020 served as a period of growth: OHSers grew as people, grew academically, and grew closer to their families. With the cancellation of many normal activities, the pandemic halted the fast paced lives that many students are used to, forcing everyone to slow down a bit. An OHS student shares, “[2020 was] hard! I think I grew a lot as a person and at the end of the day I'm thankful for the hardships and surprising nature of 2020.”
OHS students are known for being intellectually curious, but before the pandemic it could often be hard for students to fit passion projects into their busy schedules; though having to stay home and miss normal life was less than ideal, the pandemic allowed them to finally focus on endeavors that they might not have had time for beforehand. One OHSer shares, “I was able to take some really interesting online courses over the summer that I wouldn’t have been able to take otherwise.” Another OHS student shares that she spent her extra time pursuing a project that she couldn’t find the time for before the pandemic.
The most widely expressed positive aspect of 2020 was OHSers’ appreciation for spending more time with their families. One student voices this shared sentiment when stating, “I was given the opportunity to spend more time with my family, which is something I am so grateful for.” Overall, in 2020, OHS students could grow and find the silver lining in an otherwise tough year.
Throughout 2021, OHS students intend to continue growing by setting resolutions and sticking to them. One OHS student has set the achievable goal of walking their dog daily in the new year. Others have goals regarding creative endeavors: one student shares, “I'd really like to start some more craft projects (and finish them!) and get a little more organized.” Already having purchased a doodle planner, this student found a way to combine both resolutions conveniently and is on a good track to achieving this goal. Alongside these students, one OHSer, currently speaking Spanish conversationally, plans to become fluent (by “practicing every moment I have!”). Another student will be practicing his competitive programming skills, working toward his ambitious goal of achieving Gold at the United States of America Computing Olympiad (USACO) and qualifying as a candidate master on Codeforces.
While some OHS students had concrete resolutions, others have set intentions in hopes of developing emotionally and spending less time stressing in the new year. According to one OHSer, over-stressing is “something that […] many people struggle with.” To stress less, they will try “to spend more time on the things that [they] love and that truly matter to [them]!” Working toward the same goal, other students share that they will focus on what makes them happy and reminding themselves not to stress about things out of their control. Ultimately, OHS students plan to “remain positive” throughout the new year, as, in the words of one student, “having a more positive perspective on life will help [them] get through challenges.”