Editorial: WILLIS HALL Never Rests

STRESS? Editor-in-Chief Paul Schueler and Copy Editor Ashton Cornett edit yearbook pages in room 16. Along with sports, finals, college applications, Senior Speeches, clubs, and APs, the Compass yearbook staff work to complete 40 pages for a Dec. 15 deadline. Photo by Eason Zhou

Whether attending club meetings, practicing for the winter play, or preparing for exams, there is always something going on amongst our community. Through our athletes winning state championships to students making All District Choir, our students are always involved on and off campus. Although we take pride in being such an active and lively community, we all can feel some degree of pressure or stress at times. Seniors especially have been hit by this wave of stress the most with things like college applications and senior speeches. 
“I’m stressed about college applications and maintaining grades,” said senior Cate Cook ‘24, “and I don’t want to get senioritis.” 
Other seniors find their main source of stress coming from themselves.
“I put a lot of stress on myself to perform,” said Paul Schueler ‘24, “and set myself up well for the future, which is overwhelming.”
As seniors go through the college admissions process, some are starting to really feel a whole new level of responsibility.
“I’m stressed because of the heavy workload I have and how being a senior,” said Helen Hertz ‘24. “I’m having to be faced with the idea that I will be an adult very soon.”
“Going to be an adult is stressful,” said Isabelle Onufer ‘24.
These things can be extremely overwhelming, but luckily for seniors and other students, we don’t have to handle this stress alone.
Through ups and downs, our school community offers support and encouragement when we need it. We can always count on one another to lend a helping hand or help us work through stressful times. This unity and close bond we share brings us together and is something truly special at North Cross that we should appreciate. 
After attending the Thanksgiving Assembly, it really gave students and faculty a time to reflect on all the things we are grateful for. Between our many academic and athletic opportunities to our strong and intertwined community, we all can be thankful for many different aspects of North Cross. Our school is flourishing more than ever, and every day we look to make improvements and make impacts on our community. But while keeping focus on our school community, we make sure that we do not lose sight of our community beyond North Cross. In the spirit of gratitude, our school holds great importance to giving back.
Willis Hall has been doing just that by making positive efforts toward helping others in need. From the beginning of the school year, we started by raising money for Maui to help those affected by hurricanes. Green Club has been working on collecting plastic for Trex Recycling. Recently, the SCA collected coats to send to the rescue mission, and students held a dodgeball tournament to raise money for juvenile diabetes research. In the coming weeks, we are collecting more items, toys, and necessities to send to the Rescue Mission. Additionally, in the spring, we have more efforts coming like our school wide Rise Against Hunger event. But this is only the beginning, and our students, faculty, staff, and community will continue to give back

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