As the clock inches closer and closer to 12 o’clock, anticipation grows as people gather around the TV to watch the ball drop. The seconds slowly tick by until it is finally midnight and the new commences. Friends start to begin talking about their new year resolutions for the coming year. One says she is planning to become more active, another states that they want to spend time with family more, and the third shares to everyone that their resolution is to get good grades for the semester.

At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, students have started to plan similar resolutions for the upcoming year.

“My resolution is to continue getting good grades for this next semester,” senior Julia Danois said. “2021 was a year filled with stress about school and I’m planning on changing that for 2022.”

Fitness goals are also very common resolutions for students throughout the years. Planning on working out a few times a week or at least aiming to take a run or a bike ride on the weekends is an example of what a fitness resolution can consist of.

“This past year I have been slacking off on going to the gym,” senior Eric Harris said. “This year my goal is to get back into fitness and reach the goals I wish to achieve for my body.”

Starting to eat healthy within the beginning of the year is a popular resolution for multiple people. Planning to eat healthy and rational portions for the majority of the week while eating less healthy food towards the weekend is a practice that students are starting to begin.

“Ever since the start of the holiday season I have not been eating as healthy as I normally do,” junior Mya Ryan said. “For 2022 I want to start going back to my normal eating habits and become healthier.”

Connecting more to friends and loved ones is becoming a new year resolution for students. With COVID-19 worsening, traveling to see family and friends is harder than usual. This years’ resolution for students is to put in effort to keep in contact with their loved ones despite the challenges that the pandemic brings.

“My goal for 2022 is to become more connected with the people I care about,” senior Zachary Page said. “With Coronavirus getting worse, I can’t see my family out of state, I want to start putting in more effort in talking to them for the start of the new year.”

For seniors at MSD, a common goal is to attend the college or university of their choosing. Seniors that have applied for Florida colleges such as Florida State University and the University of Florida will be notified of their admission status during the months of January and February of 2022. For students that haven’t heard yet from out of state colleges due to not applying for early action or early decision will be hearing from those schools during April or May of 2022.

“2022 is the year students figure out where they’ll be going to college,” senior Marlo Perkins said. “For me, my resolution is to be accepted into my dream school and experience college.”

The beginning of 2022 will be a new start for students trying to complete their resolutions. These resolutions involve academics, fitness, healthy eating, and college life. With these goals set in place, 2022 will hopefully be a year of achievement for MSD students.