Coming to Mount Carmel is the first experience with the trimester system for most students. This also means that most students likely do not know that the first trimester is probably the most important of the year.
This is where freshmen will receive their first grades of their high school careers, and seniors will receive their last recorded grades for college. Also, this might be the only stretch in time where there are limited school breaks, as the trimester finishes around Thanksgiving Break.
Keeping these things in mind, the first trimester is the most important for students because it serves as a foundation for learning in each class, significantly boosts the overall GPA, and is crucial for seniors when applying to college.
The first trimester is when students can master the base material and understand the teacher’s grading style.
“I think those first couple of weeks are a lot of review,” Algebra and Statistics teacher Mrs. Jennifer Smola says. “Towards the end is when it starts to kind of get fast, and hopefully by that point, they’ve established how to be a good student, how to do their work, and how to manage their time. They’re used to how the teacher tests.”
Jordan Whaley, a senior currently in her AP Statistics class, agrees with this.
“I think that getting a good foundation and what you’re learning gives you a chance to get familiar with what you’re doing,” he says. “As long as you lay that foundation, you can build upon that with as much knowledge as you want, but first, you need to have that solid base. The first trimester is where you get introduced to what you’re doing.”
Whaley thinks it is important to take advantage of this aspect, as not learning the base material well enough can make the rest of the year harder.
“If I have a bad first trimester and don’t apply myself as much, then I don’t have as much of an incentive to do it in the second trimester. Everything’s going to be harder, so making your life easier is really the most important part for me.”
Like anything else, not creating a strong foundation at the start of something will set one up for struggle later on.
Because the first trimester is typically composed of review and base work, students can use this as an opportunity to significantly boost their GPA.
“I would say my first trimester has always been my best trimester,” says senior Jack Elliott, who is ranked in the top ten in his class. “If you start off strong, but you end up messing up, you don’t have to dig yourself out of a big hole.”
He says his first trimester GPA pushed him to improve throughout his academic career.
“When you get that first report card and get such a good first trimester GPA, you want to do better than that. It just keeps you striving for a better grade.”
I personally can attest to this. Coming into high school, I always had decent grades, but my first grade report proved to me that I could raise my academic standards even more. Without that first big grade boost, I probably would not have the same college aspirations as I do now.
While getting good grades at the start of the year is easier, some argue that the second trimester is more important for students to focus on.
“My experience is that kids seem to inevitably try hard in [trimester] one,” sophomore and junior Theology teacher Mr. Dominic Scheuring attests. “This leads me to believe it seems like the main problem is [trimester] two. These grades are historically always lower, and honestly I think not enough attention is paid to tri-two.”
He views this as the time when students do not give as much effort.
“Mr. John Haggerty would always emphasize once winter started, that’s when you need to look out for students who are sort of dropping off the radar. There’s just an uptick. Grades are worse, and guys who have been getting on each other’s nerves for fifteen weeks start to boil over.”
Mr. Scheuring’s perspective is valid, which gives all the more reason for students to take great care in their studies at the start of the year. As Elliott and Whaley mentioned, success in the first trimester can help with these struggles in the middle of the year.
The first trimester is also vital for seniors during their college application process.
“For seniors, I would say the first trimester is probably their most important,” Mrs. Smola claims. “It’s the last time they usually share their grades with their colleges.”
Whaley is currently going through this process not only for college but for free tuition through the Posse Scholarship.
“It motivated me to take harder classes, just so I can be in the running for the Posse,” he says. “I have to submit [these] grades upcoming for this third round interview, and it really just holds me accountable to making sure I participate and apply myself to the first trimester.”
Even for regular college applicants, performing well at the start of this year is necessary for them to be accepted into their college and receive as much scholarship money as possible.
As finals are just around the corner, students must make the most out of the start of the year.
“It’s the most important trimester,” says Elliott. “If you start off strong, it gives you room to fail, and it also gives you room to improve.”
