Going to school for 7 hours a day, working a part-time job, maintaining good grades, doing extracurricular activities, having a social life, and preparing for college seems like a strenuous never-ending task. Many often wonder if there are even enough hours in the day. Kiana Robertson, Tiffany Bartholomew, Taylor Grace, and Perry Bradley-Bender are current juniors at RPHS. They all have part-time jobs and are full IB candidates. IB (International Baccalaureate) is another form of AP classes. Some of the classes they take include IB Psychology, IB History, IB English, IB Biology, IB Spanish and IB Film. Needless to say, they have a busy schedule full of challenging classes that they have to find time for. They work hard every day and have found the balance necessary to manage all the things they are involved in.

Perry Bradley-Bender acknowledges that preparing for college, working a part-time job, participating in extracurricular activities, having a social life, and getting good grades seems like an impossible task, but she says it’s something everyone should do. She says getting through high school is tough but you just have to do it. “You are preparing yourself for your future. Only you can decide how you do in school. All those hours you spend studying, staying up until 3 a.m finishing an assignment, missing out on hanging out with friends. It will all be worth it.” Perry also works part-time at American Eagle. Perry would much rather not have a job and be able to focus on school but she needs to make money to have for college. Perry also attends college visit meetings at RPHS. She likes to hear about as many college opportunities as possible, so she makes sure to set aside time to go to those every once in a while. In addition to school and a job, Perry is also apart of Model UN and National Honors Society.

Taylor Grace has found the balance but shares her struggles. She says, “Sleeping is impossible. I drink so much more coffee now.” Taylor Grace is a full IB candidate and takes some challenging classes. Taylor says she relies on her art class to relieve some stress. “Art is my escape. It’s my passion. I can let out all my feelings and anger into a beautiful piece of art.” Apart from school, Taylor is on the varsity volleyball team at RPHS. During volleyball season she has three-hour practices every day. She finds it difficult to manage school and sports but she finds a way. Taylor says the most difficult part is finding enough hours in the day to complete everything. “I find myself prioritizing assignments based on how many points they are worth. If I have three hours to get as much homework done as I can, I will do the assignments worth the most.” Taylor is also apart of National Honor Society and she volunteers to help the community as much as she can.

Tiffany Bartholomew is a full IB candidate and works part-time at Subway. Tiffany says the worst part about managing school and work is the level of difficulty and amount of school work. “I have eight classes and I have homework in literally every class, every night. I guess if I have one tip to share about managing school and work it’s to take IB classes with friends so you can suffer together.” Tiffany also mentions the study group she’s apart of in several classes. Tiffany says, “The truth is most of your classmates are struggling alongside you so form study groups to help you comprehend stuff.” Tiffany is managing school and work very well. She is a junior taking all IB classes and she has maintained a 4.0 GPA and works a part-time job.

Kiana Robertson is apart of National Honor Society, full IB, varsity volleyball, and she also works part-time at a dental office. Similar to Taylor, Kiana says the hardest part about managing school and work is not having enough time to do things. Kiana often finds herself staying up until 3 a.m to finish her assignments, but “that is the sacrifice you have to make.” Kiana is also apart of several study groups and relies on her friends to help her get motivated to do things. She says, “I always have so much work to do that I find myself procrastinating to do any of it because I know I won’t finish it all. If you procrastinate, you hate yourself.” Procrastination is a common problem among full IB candidates. “Social media often takes over and takes up most of my time,” says Kiana. “Although I complain about full IB and the stress it brings, I never regret taking it. It could potentially cut off a year of college and that will save my family a lot of money. That’s another big plus.”

Staying on track is all about time management and organization. All your hard work will pay off. “Be grateful you even get to go to school. Lots of people don’t even get that opportunity,” says Taylor Grace. “Although managing all the things you are apart of seems impossible, it is possible. All it takes is hard work.”