As the first semester comes to an end, many students are finally able to look back and reflect on how the school year has gone so far. 

When school started in August , students walked into school feeling nervous. As weeks went on, students slowly adjusted to their schedules and their classes. While stress was still lingering in their minds, many people learned how to manage their time and studying.

Freshman Annarae Paz said, “An academic challenge was managing and getting everything done as it was due,” which shows how challenging it can be getting into the academic routine. 

Over time, students began to get on track and learn how to manage study time, personal life and friendships. Even though stress was still pointed out by students it seemed to not be a big problem for them. 

Sophomore Giada Garza quoted, “Strategies that helped me this semester were to take time for myself and not worry about doing everything at once. Also, I learned that finishing my work at school was so much better for me, as I can relax and not worry about it at home.”

 Sophomore Taylor Trujano stated, “Strategies that helped me this year were probably time management to make sure I was on top of work and getting it done, having no missing work and probably also setting goals to keep me motivated.”

Other than challenges, there were also accomplishments and lessons that were earned and learned throughout the first semester. Many new friendships and memories were built throughout the first semester. and students have shared their experiences. 

Sophomore Denali Abott quoted, “Work as hard as you can to accomplish your goals.”

Freshman Addison Brown quoted, “Having my friends to motivate me helped me a lot this semester; it was good just to have people by my side, help me stay motivated and help me with my school work and keep me on task.” She also stated that, “Some challenges I had were school work and finals. I was very stressed, but it ended very well with my grades.” Friendship and teamwork are very important. “Friends help [each other] learn and grow together, and when they work together, they can share ideas and learn things together and even make new friends by working together.”

Freshman Maudie Butler said, “This semester went really well. I loved being on the dance team with all my other teammates and learning together with them and making other people smile when we danced.” 

This semester had good and bad moments for Canyon High School students. “[These experiences] helped me grow as a student,” stated Freshman Rylee Ramirez. 

On the positive side, students definitely learned many new things throughout the semester and built stronger friendships with classmates.

Overall, the first half of the 2025-2026 school year has been an amazing experience for many Canyon High School students. We have gone through a lot of work and stress, and now it is time to enjoy a much-needed break. Cougar Tracks wishes everyone at CHS a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!