Transitioning from middle school to high school can be challenging, especially when juggling a vigorous workload of Advanced Placement classes. That’s certainly the case for Derek Green, ninth grade student at The SEED School of Maryland.
Derek did not play sports in middle school, but decided that he wanted to play baseball in high school. Maintaining a 3.6 GPA in middle school wasn’t too hard for him, but he had lots of support from teachers, counselors and tutors. Derek was confident he could meet the 3.0-minimum GPA to play sports as a high school student.
According to Derek, that confidence withered as he found the tests to be more difficult, the textbook chapters longer and his class notes seemed to never end. When Derek’s GPA dropped to 2.5 in the second quarter, he was devastated and worried that he would be ineligible to play baseball in the spring.
However by demonstrating self-determination and self-discipline, Derek worked hard to increase his GPA to a 3.4 and now proudly plays second base for the SEED Sabers junior varsity baseball team.
Derek worked hard to improve his GPA. “I talked with my advisor about some of the challenges I was having,” he said. “She helped me work on study techniques like using flash cards. I also had to work on eliminating distractions. Listening to music on my laptop while I study for AP Government was not the best choice. I have to communicate with my teachers to get help outside of class. Just like I will need to do in college, I have to schedule time and seek out all of the resources I need to be successful.”
Congratulations to Derek Green for being the Indie Soul “Student of the Week.”
Each week during the school year, Indie Soul will spotlight a student who excels in academics and in the community. To nominate someone for “Student of the Week,” call 410-366-3900 ext. 3016 or email: pdemps@btimes.com with “Student of the Week” in the subject line.