The SPECTRUM

Volume 31

The SPECTRUM

The SPECTRUM

HW Students’ New Year’s Resolutions

HW+Students+New+Years+Resolutions

For many people, a new year represents a time for new beginnings. It’s a time when everyone can start fresh, achieve new goals, and get rid of bad habits. New Year’s resolutions give us the chance to make the changes we all desire so that we can improve our lives through better behavior. Resolutions can range from promising to clean your room every day to spending more time with family and friends. Below are the most popular New Year’s resolutions that Harvard-Westlake (HW) students made for 2020:

1. Procrastinate Less:

Harvard-Westlake students have noticed the myriad negative effects that procrastination has on their lives, causing one third of the student body to make procrastination the most important issue to eliminate in 2020. Ninth grader Natalie Chan ‘23 noticed that putting off her work made her tired at school.“I don’t get enough sleep due to procrastination,” Chan admits, “so I’d like to have a better work ethic in order to improve my sleeping habits.”

2. Eat Healthier:

Instead of consuming large amounts of junk food and candy, many HW students want to lessen the amount of unhealthy food they eat and replace their diet with more vegetables and other nutritious fare. Ava Weinrot ‘23 said, “In 2020, I’m going to eat less sugar. Even though I love sweets, especially chocolates, I know they’re not good for me.”

3. Become More Organized:

Organization also made the top three list of the most common New Year’s resolutions for HW students in 2020. Students believe that their disorganized lifestyle is the source of many other problems in their lives, especially those relating to mental health and academic performance. “I want to become more organized in body and in mind,” Sarah Parmet ’25 shared. “My room isn’t super organized, and I get stressed easily, so I want to be able to relax more. I think it can all be solved by [better] organization [of my] objects and time.”

4. Be More Eco-Friendly:

Aware of the dangers of climate change, HW students are also committed to helping the environment. As Avery Kim ‘23 stated in her resolution,“I’m going to use less plastic and recycle more.” Other actions that students mentioned were using LED light bulbs, which use less energy, saving water by taking shorter showers and not leaving fully charged devices into home outlets.

5. Exercise More:

Another popular resolution was to get in better physical shape. According to one seventh grader, “I want to exercise more because even walking down from the seventh grade locker stairs causes me to be out of breath. PE is also very strenuous for me.” It’s easy to start an exercise or sports program, but what’s important is to stick to it and make it a part of your everyday routine.

6. Read more:

Finding time to read is another goal that students want to commit to in the New Year. Hoping to read at least 20 books this year, Emily Malkan ‘23 said, “I want to spend more time reading, not only to expand my knowledge but also to enjoy some great stories.”

7. Be Kinder:

When making their New Year’s resolutions, HW students also considered how they treat other people and decided that they want to be more caring and considerate. Celia Halloran ‘25, for example, had a great idea to spread kindness when she vowed “to say one compliment/positive word to someone every day.”

Although it’s difficult to make changes like the admirable ones listed above, it’s great to know that the students at Harvard Westlake are making every effort to improve themselves, the community, and the world around them.

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