The 2024-25 school year was a rollercoaster. At times, it was stressful, but, at other times, it was exciting and fun with friends. Through it all, here are five things that helped students in making this school year exciting.

Music

Music was everywhere this year. Almost everyone had headphones/AirPods on during breaks, morning hallway walks, or on the bus. Listening to music also helped us focus when doing homework or just relaxing while we were tired or stressed. Some people loved listening to pop songs, and others preferred rap or chill beats. Additionally, sharing playlists and songs with friends became a big thing this year too. When things got rough and difficult in life, music never let us down, and it always helps us calm down or pump us up to get through and keep going no matter what.

ChatGPT

At first, we all messed around with ChatGPT. But it quickly became a huge help for school. For instance, if we were stuck on writing essays or didn’t understand a math equation, we could ask ChatGPT and get clear answers with explanations. We basically had a tutor on hand every day at any time. Although some teachers told us not to use it too much, it made schoolwork easier and less stressful and helped us learn more.

TikTok

TikTok was everywhere this year. We all scrolled through hours of funny videos, dance challenges, and cool trends. Not everything was fun, though. TikTok gave us study tips, motivation, and ways to connect with people who shared the same interests as us. It helped us relax and calmed us down after long/stressful days, and sometimes it even inspired us to try new things. It was an easy way to get distracted, but TikTok played a major role in how we used our downtime outside of school.

Video Games

After a long day at school, video games were a great way to relax. We played various games such as Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox, which let us hang out with friends online, have fun, and forget about school stress. It wasn’t so much playing, it was more of how we connected with friends and kept up with each other.

Group chats were a big thing in everyday life. We would remind each other of homework (send each other answers), plan things, post memes, and just talk about what was going on in each other’s lives. Sometimes they got very loud and obnoxious, but they kept us together even when we were sad or just busy in general. When things got tough, group chats let us support each other and let each other know that we weren’t alone. 

Looking back, these five things weren’t just distractions. They were the things that got us through the most difficult parts of this year and made everything better. Music, ChatGPT, TikTok, video games, and group chats made the 2024-25 year one to never forget!