The ball dropped in New York City’s Times Square, signaling the new year to its audience of empty streets and restaurants. The only celebration that can be heard was the howling wind which encourages plummeting temperatures. Not a very cheerful sight. 

BUT. 2020 is behind us. The shouts of joy were not audible in Times Square, but they were in fact deafening in homes across the country, because everyone is ready to begin anew. The prospects of a brighter future are unknown, but nonetheless the hope that our community holds onto is invaluable, and nothing says hope like the fresh start of a new year. 

Recent polls and interviews of the students at WMC, revealed the resolutions students hope to pursue. Many resolutions, as per usual, are focused on health, fitness, and well-being. A resolution involving wellbeing is from sophomore Cassidy Cornetta, who aims to drink at least 40 oz of water a day. She’s on to something, since the average American only drinks 3.9 cups daily, and healthy people are supposed to drink at least 4-6 cups per day. Hailey Onweller, senior, wants “to exercise more and complete more acts of kindness”. Ella Musto, senior, agrees that she wants to work out more and be kinder to herself. Senior Shannon Preblick aims to be “more optimistic and kind”. After a whirlwind of a year, if there’s one thing the world has learned, it’s the powerful impact of an act of kindness from one person to another. It’s an overall appreciation for the people who don’t get enough thank-yous.  If there were ever a silver lining in the past year, most would agree–that’d probably be it. Many also want to spend less time on their phone, like senior Michael Pirrello, which is definitely important for mental health. 

Other New Year’s Resolutions include spending more time with loved ones. Senior Vincent Jiang wants to spend more time with friends and family before heading off to college in the fall. He wants to “try more things and discover who I really am”. This is something many high school seniors are in pursuit of before beginning a new journey at college. Variables that can’t be controlled often seem scary, but they are crucial to life. There’s a reason everything isn’t already planned out for people from the start. It’s what is learned along the way that is invaluable. Still others want to improve their quality of life while keeping up their grades. Sophomore Aidan McCoy wants to “improve [his] work life balance when still getting good grades”. Senior Holly Branco says that “not being late” is definitely one of her resolutions, and sophomore Liz Moran wants to work on procrastinating less.

Why do we make New Year’s Resolutions anyway? It’s a valid question, since many believe people often don’t follow through with their goals. However, it’s the intent of improving oneself that matters most, even if it doesn’t always go according to plan. It’s the constant pursuit of making oneself and each other better, and more importantly, the hope, that things can and will improve.