As BSM enters the second quarter of the school year, students are starting to get in the groove of everyday school life. Life hacks are an essential part of getting through high school, and many BSM student’s have taken the time to figure some out. Students show their creativity by coming up with new and interesting ways to work around the handbook.

As expected, the school lunch line is a place of many life hacks. The notorious Taher chocolate chip cookies tend to be a best seller amongst all lunches. Although each and every bag usually is bought by the end of the day, there are still some tactics behind choosing the best cookies. “One thing I do is feel the warmth and squishiness of each bag of Taher cookies before I buy them,” Graczyk said.

Being best sellers, Taher cookies are a hot commodity and tend to sell out quickly. They are not always accessible at all times throughout the day. “Third and fourth hour are usually when the cookies first come out of the oven and onto the trays to buy so that is definitely prime cookie time,” sophomore Ellie Shideman said.

For not only students, but faculty members as well, areas of BSM can get confusing, and it’s easy to lose track of where you’re going. “The basement can be confusing, but if you go down one of the sets of stairs and just keep walking, you will eventually get to where you need to be. It’s like a maze down there but this definitely helps,” Assistant Principal Cami Dahlstrom said.

The younger students of BSM have the infamous label of having the most unpleasant smelling hallway in the school. A life hack from an upperclassman is to take a different route to avoid students who forgot to put on deodorant. “Avoid freshman and JH hallways if you don’t want to take in that gross smell,” senior Audrey Peterson said.

The BSM dress code is something that many students struggle to follow, so they try to find ways to work around it. With that said, some teachers are more strict and likely to dress code someone that is pushing the limit on what the dress code rules are. “I think it’s just a good idea to be careful with what teachers you see on days where you might be pushing the dress code a little bit just to avoid getting in trouble with certain teachers,” freshman Jocelyn Hawkinson said.

Sophomore Hannah Doyle also commented about how to work your way around the dress code. “Make sure you have a zip up [sweatshirt] with you or some change of clothes in case a teacher dress codes you. That way you can wear your own clothes for the rest of the day instead of having to wear something from the office,” Doyle said.

Parking across the street in the Beth El lot, which is intended for junior and sophomore drivers, is not always the most convenient in the mornings, especially as the weather is getting colder. This situation tends to lead students to finding a way around parking across the street, and moving over into the senior lot. “If you’re getting to school half way through the day, it’s kind of a life hack to park in the senior lot if you’re a junior or sophomore driver so your car isn’t across the street at the end of the day. Since most likely all the seniors are already at school by this time, you won’t be taking their parking spots,” junior Anna Amaris said.

The duty of school teachers is not only to teach the information in the class curriculum, but also give insight on valuable life lessons that can take students farther in life than just academics. High school teachers and staff can play a big role in the future of students and where they go beyond their highschool experience. “Having good connections and relationships with people in the school like teachers or the Taher staff can kinda come in handy sometimes whether that’s for letters of recommendation or doing well in their class,” senior Ryan Baird said.

On a similar note, junior Jack Bourget advises students to make sure your school work is a top priority. High school students have a lot to juggle, however, it’s important to not let all the other aspects of teenage life get in the way of academics. “Definitely don’t fall behind on school work, you’re just better off being smart and staying on top of your work,” Bourget said.

Students are recommended to get involved in their schools extracurricular activities. Not only is being involved in school life a good experience for many, students also get many opportunities to compete, travel, and learn outside of just the school grounds. “By signing up for BSM sports, clubs, and activities, you can end up getting fun opportunities to go on field trips and you can miss school to do fun things for your activity,” junior Maggie Graczyk said.

Many students know the ins and out of BSM, and have found ways to work around some of the rules and create life hacks over their years here.