THE STUDENT NEWS SITE OF WOODFORD COUNTY HIGHSCHOOL
An+array+of+previously+published+Nicks+Notes.+

Nick Grimard

An array of previously published Nick’s Notes.

Nick’s Notes: Coming Full Circle

May 4, 2017

For three consecutive years I have received an array of simplistic and complicated inquiries from the student body and have attempted to answer them wholeheartedly. Nick’s Notes originated with the initial mission statement of delivering aid to fellow classmates; however, that swiftly transitioned into cultivating deep rooted responses with the intention of truly making a difference. Throughout the years of writing this column I’ve found myself growing with each question, diving deeper within my conscious to formulate only thoughtful responses. For that, I am truly grateful. 

For this final issue of Nick’s Notes, I will be re-answering the questions in my original article. The purpose of doing this is to convey the idea of growth by showing my personal progression. In fact, if I could leave you with one last piece of advice, it would simply be to always follow a path of continual growth. 

Responses From Sophomore Year

Then…

 

 

Q: What is the best way to make good, trustworthy, honest friends?

A: We all have acquaintances—people we exchange small talk with in the hallways but don’t really go out of the way to associate ourselves with. These relationships can be developed into deeper, meaningful friendships. Now, you can’t force a seed to grow, however, you can provide the essentials needed for it to have the best opportunities to become a sturdy plant. The essentials of a good friendship include both parties being genuine, paying attention, and proving trust. If you put effort into providing these key assets for the other person and they do the same, over time your relationship will only grow more emotionally involved. If they don’t, well, time to plant the next seed.

 

Q: Socks with sandals?

A: Vegan tacos? See, some things are just immoral. Don’t do it.

 

 

 

 

Q: How to score well on the ACT?

A: Scoring with high proficiency on the ACT is determined by the amount of effort put into preparation. Compare studying for the ACT to training to run a marathon. Anyone attempting running long distance for their first time may not get as far as anticipated. However, someone who trained their body to sustain long distance running over the course of months would be physically and emotionally able to run longer. As a student, every school day is training your mind as you learn new content, but there are things you can do to prepare yourself outside of class. The official ACT website offers a variety of different study tools from advice on being prepared to sample questions for your advantage. Another way to study is simply asking your teachers to tutor you in areas where you may lack understanding. My biggest recommendation is taking the ACT multiple times throughout your High School career. From little sleep to being hungry, there are a lot of different scenarios that may cause you to score poorly your first time. However, if you take the test more then once the highest score is what initially matters and you get many chances to prove what you know.   

 

Q: Coming out as transgender?

A: Making the decision to come out as transgender to family and friends is an important first step towards being who you are and living the life you deserve. My recommendation is to write a letter. The letter method has many advantages including allowing you to say what you need to say without interruption, as well as allowing you to sleep on and revise your own words until you feel comfortable with what you’ve written. Initial reactions to big news can come from a place of surprise and often, a natural resistance to change. Writing a letter gives the reader opportunity to react in private before responding. This allows the reader to come from a place of love and respect, which overall long term benefits your relationship.

 

Q: I’m having issues fitting in, can you help?

A: Fitting in means assessing situations and groups of people, then twisting your personality and style in order to impress them. My advice is to stop trying to fit in, aim to belong instead. They may sound similar but belonging is something else entirely. Belonging is allowing yourself to be seen and known as you really are, then finding the people who accept you for that person. So many suffer from this split between who they are and who they present to the world in order to be accepted. As cliche as it may seem, simply be yourself.

 

 

 

Q: How do I learn to lay off the Skittles? I’ve had six of the big bags in the past week and a half, and I can’t stop no matter what I do. I even bought a bag this morning for a driving snack. The one I bought yesterday (which was supposed to last a week) didn’t last the full day. It’s clearly an addiction, and I need some help. I love skittles, man.

A: When tasting the rainbow meets low self-control, skittles can be hazardous to your health. You could develop diseases such as type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as an increased risk of a stroke. I would suggest seeing a medical professional, therapist, and attending SA (Skittles Anonymous) meetings weekly. Addiction to skittles is no laughing matter, man.

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Responses From Senior Year

Now…

 

 

Q: What is the best way to make good, trustworthy, honest friends?

A: Most of the advice I gave in this particular response stays true to my beliefs, however, the ending sentence seems to contradict what the entire paragraph claims. Once a friendship begins to falter, don’t simply discard the relationship and force yourself to connect to new people. That lack of commitment won’t allow relationships to form sturdy roots. Working on mending conflicts and disagreements allows two beings to form an elevated sense of love and respect for one another, and ultimately allows a more deep-rooted relationship to grow. The best way to make good, trustworthy friends is by simply allowing preexisting and new found friendships to mature through time.

 

Q: Socks with sandals?

A: Despite my poor attempt at adding humor to the column, the vegan joke proves ironic considering that I’ve followed the dietary practice for over a year now. Though it was simply a joke, there seems to be an important lesson to be learned. I would like to draw attention to this example of prepositional judgment. Viewpoints that form from the lack of knowledge or the inherited dispositions of a particular subject can blind someone from discovering and growing through their own mind. In other words, discover and understand anything before you judge it. As for the fashion advice, why not wear socks and sandals? Do what allows your heart to be content.

 

Q: How to score well on the ACT?

A: One major distinction between when I first began writing Nick’s Notes and now is the experience I accumulated through multiple attempts at bettering my ACT score. Though my previous advice is fine, I want to extend one of the key concepts I attempted to convey. Developing a strong familiarization with the test proves to benefit one’s score immensely. Simply analyzing each section’s content through multiple tests allows you to gain a more clear insight into what information is most dire for you to know. The ACT is composed to challenge multiple mental skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving, and is truly easier once you’ve practiced the content vigorously. The ACT is not as difficult as it is made out to be, the only aspect that may be hindering your score can be informality, which can be altered through dedication and practice. Don’t stress, remember to breathe, and prepare and study until you are satisfied with one of your scores.

 

 

Q: Coming out as transgender?

A: Making the decision to come out as transgender to family and friends is an important first step towards being who you are and living the life you deserve. My recommendation is to write a letter. The letter method has many advantages including allowing you to say what you need to say without interruption, as well as allowing you to sleep on and revise your own words until you feel comfortable with what you’ve written. Initial reactions to big news can come from a place of surprise and often, a natural resistance to change. Writing a letter gives the reader opportunity to react in private before responding. This allows the reader to come from a place of love and respect, which overall long term benefits your relationship. (Nothing has changed!)

 

Q: I’m having issues fitting in, can you help?

A: Although I skimmed this concept in my previous response, I failed to convey the idea fully. Being yourself, while rewarding, is seemingly impossible without one other element added: Love. The act of loving oneself is difficult to comprehend considering our generation often deprecates the very idea; however, once an individual has developed the ability to truly love them self, they become content. Impressing others through a facade becomes unimaginable once you’ve accepted and loved the person you are. Others notice the comfort you’ve found within yourself and start appreciating the perfection that you’ve confidently presented before them. Belonging may seem essential for human satisfaction, and whether that is true or not proves debatable, but the worry of trying to belong simply vanishes through self love.

 

Q: How do I learn to lay off the Skittles? I’ve had six of the big bags in the past week and a half, and I can’t stop no matter what I do. I even bought a bag this morning for a driving snack. The one I bought yesterday (which was supposed to last a week) didn’t last the full day. It’s clearly an addiction, and I need some help. I love skittles, man.

A: I would change nothing about how I responded to this question. Addiction to skittles is still no laughing matter, man.

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