Being a genuinely happy person is an achievement that is rare in life. High school is especially a troubling time for being happy. Stress levels are always a struggle in high school, with the amount of homework and after/before school activities. There are a lot of reasons for students to be unhappy but also plenty of different reasons. 

Sleep is very important for teenagers. Students’ bodies are going through puberty and trying to develop fully. With all of the homework and activities, there is not much time for sleep. Teens need sleep to have somewhat of a level of happiness. Sleeping enough is clearly trouble in high school.

There are troubles in and outside of school, students may have family issues or be going through an issue with their friends. No one knows what someone is going through and it’s not often for schools to check up on students. Mental health is a clear issue within AAHS that students are not happy here.

Happiness levels at high schools have been studied for years with shocking information in the results, and it is clear that nothing has changed. There are social groups (No Place For Hate) talking about student health and happiness but there is no real action being taken.

AAHS students were asked if they were happy themselves, “I’m pretty happy in general, but not here. The level of homework is too much for us to have any kind of freedom. It’s to the point where I don’t even enjoy coming to school other than seeing my friends,” sophomore Evan Lawrentz stated.

Seeing friends at school is the only good part of school. Thats the only way to enjoy school is making memories with people you know and love. Teens spend most of their time at school within an environment they don’t enjoy. Schools should be an environment where students can have fun but also flourish in education.

Happiness is a key to life and living a happy and healthy life is what keeps life interesting and fun. Life is a short but long journey that has a ton of ups and downs. High school is a very short term of everyones life. The best part about having a fun and happy experience in high school is putting yourself in a good spot to remember some of the best years of your life in the future.

“I’m pretty happy here, besides homework and most of the teachers don’t understand that we also need to have fun. My parents say that some of their best years were in high school and I don’t understand how they were happy in such a bipolar and strict environment. Outside of school I am happy, but inside school I am not” sophomore Carter Booth noted.

The best part of being happy in high school are the after school activities, wether that’s a sport or just hanging out with friends. Most students here show no signs of happiness in class and only during passing period. It is easy to tell when someone is having fun just by their facial expressions and majority of the time, no happy or excited emotions are shown at AAHS.

“The academic part of school doesn’t make me happy but the fun experiences with my friends in and outside of school are what makes me happy. I love seeing my family and friends because it does make me happy. I don’t think high school is supposed to be a place where happiness is a priority because its just supposed to put us in a better place to strive in the adult world,” sophomore Tino Gonzales mentioned.

All the students that were interviewed for this article said that they were happy with friends and family but not in school. School isn’t a happy place for most students and this should be changed, but most likely won’t. School hasn’t changed for hundreds of years but maybe it will.