By Emily McElyea
Everyone receives advice nearly every day, sometimes without even realizing it. Whether it be school related, for sports, or something a little more personal, we all need advice.
The seniors in the Class of 2025 have learned many lessons during their time here at Delta. The seniors are finally ready to share those lessons with underclassmen.
Jennings Wine considers his high school career to have been successful, despite all of the challenges and hardships he had to overcome.
Wine is a three-sport athlete while also participating in almost every club he possibly can.
“My biggest lesson is that just because I’m doing a lot of things and being a part of a lot of clubs doesn’t mean that I’m well liked,” Wine said.
One piece of advice that he has focused on following since his freshman year is to just be himself.
Before coming to high school, most students worry about fitting in and making friends, rather than just being themselves.
“Don’t worry about what other people think of you, just kind of do your own thing and stick to what you know and don’t let others persuade you into becoming someone else,” Wine said.
The biggest piece of advice Wine would give to an underclassman is not just stay on top of your work because you have to, do it because you want to and have fun while doing it.
“Have fun with high school, don’t stress out, and don’t overexert yourself,” Wine said
Wine always told himself that the hard work he put in would be worth it in the end. That all the difficult homework assignments and long days would pay off once he graduates.
“The light at the end of the tunnel is completely worth the road you have to travel to get there,” he said, “You may not care about it now but later down the road you’re gonna blame yourself for not trying.”
Mackemzie Lipps is the senior class president, a member of student council, and a two-sport athlete, being a part of the swim and dive team as well as tennis.
Lipps’ biggest word of advice to underclassmen is to get involved and make the most of high school.
“You’re only young once, and some of these opportunities you come upon are once in a lifetime things,” Lipps said.
A big part of students becoming successful is their mindset. If students think negatively about themselves, they are less likely to push themselves to succeed.
“Have the mentality that you can do it, even if you feel really discouraged,” Lipps said. “Even if you don’t think you can do it, you absolutely can do it.”
Lipps thinks that having a good support system is key to a student’s academic success.
“Just knowing you have friends who are constantly supporting you, and you have teachers who are constantly supporting you, makes it easier,” Lipps said.
Lipps described high school as a one time thing where you don’t get do-overs, so you should take advantage of your time here while you can.
“Make the best of your years in high school,” Lipps said, “Not everything is going to go right, and it’s not always going to go the way you want, but you need to make the best of it and have a good time,”
Senior Owen Cupp’s high school career had a rough start. He wasn’t putting in his full effort and was only focusing on his performance on the tennis team.
That is, until his tennis coach came to him with advice.
“Coach Cleland told me to try as hard in my classes as I am in tennis,” Cupp said.
A lot of students focus on the athlete in “student-athlete” before focusing on becoming a successful student, but that’s not always the right choice.
“Nobody would want to do homework, but the payoff is huge when you get to graduate,” Cupp said.
Cupp explained to stay motivated, it is important to stay organized. It doesn’t just help you feel less stressed, it helps you make sure you stay on top of your work rather than procrastinating.
The biggest lesson the Cupp learned throughout high school was that you have to work to get what you want. Almost all students want to graduate high school, but some aren’t willing to put in the work.
Brylee Beckley is a two-sport athlete, being a part of both varsity tennis and the varsity cheer team.
Being on such successful teams has taught her many lessons.
“I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned has been time management, like dealing with homework, hanging out with friends, and going to practices,” Beckley said.
Her biggest piece of advice might seem simple, but it’s advice that almost every student needs to hear at least once in their life. That is to get your work done.
“I know everyone is going to procrastinate, but just planning out and thinking ahead, like ‘I have practice from 4 to 6, I should get some work done in this class so I don’t have it all tonight,’” Beckley said.
Beckley has looked up to many people throughout her time here at Delta, from friends to teachers and coaches, but one person stands out to her. That is tennis coach Tim Cleland.
“Coach Cleland, definitely, he is just preaching at practices and giving us advice on life and how we should live and how we should treat people,” Beckley said.
Beckley has set goals for herself during her high school career, like getting good grades and getting into college, and she has met both of those goals.
She has been able to get exceptionally good grades throughout school.
Beckley has earned a spot on the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association Academic All-State team for her strong grades and SAT score. She is the 17th girl in the history of the school to earn Academic All-State in tennis.
She is going to continue her schooling, studying business at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
