Millennium Guide For Incoming Freshman

( Opinions only of Lorenzo Gonzalez, any reproduction of these opinions is prohibited)
Greetings Millennium families. Thank you for finding interest in Millennium High School! I am proud to present a special information guide for all families and students out there, in order to help people see if Millennium is the right fit for you. Woah forgot to introduce myself there.  My name is Lorenzo Gonzalez and currently I’m a senior at Millennium High School. I’m from Brooklyn and I’m going to Montclair State University majoring in chemistry. Over the past 4 years, Millennium has helped me tremendously, allowing me to change in order to become a better student as I continue my academic career in college.. Millennium significantly prepares students for adulthood by challenging them to think outside the box. Millennium’s courses are designed to prepare students to be successful  at the college level, and get them thinking about careers they might want to pursue in the future. Here’s an exclusive look at the important parts of Millennium High School. 

Academics: As a lower house student, the classes are decided by advisors and the abilities of the students based on class placements tests. 9th grade and 10th grade follow similar schedules with a slight change of classes. Some of the classes for 9th/10th grade include biology, geometry, english, art, chemistry, physical education, global history and health. My favorite class of this group has got to be global history and Ms.Wilson and Ms. Lysohir are extremely helpful teachers that’ll always be there when you’re confused. Ms. Lysohir especially helped me when my classes and my emotions were down and I felt there was no going back.10th grade was very different to me since I had it during the remote year. All of my classes were by zoom so communication with teachers and students was a lot worse. Art 10 was my least favorite class during my time as a lower house student since it was extremely hard and tedious work. I also felt the lessons weren’t as meaningful since they were mostly based on one skill. All lowerhouse students have advisory 4th period from Tuesday to thursday. Advisory consists of students being put with their fellow classmates and an advisor that they stay with all 4 years at Millennium. Even though both were cut short due to covid and lots of experiments were pushed back, I felt the teachers were always prepared and big on their lessons putting lots of hard work and effort into each lesson, even as the material became more and more complex. . Through all the struggles I had as a lowerhouse man, I enjoyed my time and changed a lot as a person.

Student Life: At Millennium, there are many different opportunities for students to participate in a variety of different clubs. Some of the more popular clubs include key club, red cross, the young entrepreneurs club, newspaper, and several different culture clubs. This wide variety allows for many students to find new interests that could lead them towards possible career paths. Lots of clubs at Millennium have strong membership as many of the students usually stay in them for all four years and become student leaders. Over the years, many clubs have grown outside the bounds of highschool and into the real world. Clubs like Best buddies, Red cross, and Key club, are dedicated to different organizations that help those in the community. I tend to find Millennium students are quite interested in not only helping their classmates, but helping the community around them.

Although this sounds all nice and dandy, there are a few problems with student life at Millennium. There tends to be little interaction between different class grades.  As a guy who is extremely social, I feel this is a huge problem. Some people I work with barely like talking to each other in school, let alone outside of it. People usually like keeping to themselves unless you’re in a certain friend group. In addition, students of all grades tend to be very academically focused and work very hard to get good grades. So, having to deal with that on top of homework, sports, clubs, and more, causing the stress levels to skyrocket. All this just leads to many students feeling like they can’t talk and share their emotions among classmates. But honestly, some students handle it horribly. I notice classmates surround their time at Millennium on work and procrastinate about upcoming assignments for no reason.

Teachers: I think a very strong point within Millennium High School is its teachers. I always found the teachers at Millennium to be the best of all the schools I went to. Most of the teachers I was with were more than willing to help me out with any concerns, confusions, extra help, or anything else that I had troubles with in the class. If I ever missed a day, the teachers would always prepare me to catch up with the rest of the class. If you enter class ready to learn, the teachers will always be there to help you on your way. Every teacher has office hours where students can get individual help on topics that confuse them. I think these office hours help students, like myself, get work done, learn from mistakes made in class, and look at lessons differently. Overall, the teachers are extremely supportive and willing to help you.

Transportation: Students usually take the train or walk to get to Millennium. In the beginning, many students feel as if the travel can be overwhelming, but they get used to it after a while especially when it becomes a day to day routine. Being from Brooklyn, I sometimes find my commute to be pretty tiring, especially now as a senior. The trains would sometimes get backed up, making it hard to make it on time to classes in the morning. Students have to learn how to alter their morning routine to make sure they aren’t late, and face the big problem. The big consequence of being late is not being able to go out for lunch. Always make sure to come to classes earlier and find the best way to get yourself from point a to b. 

Recommendations as a Student: My biggest recommendations I can give future students at Millennium is to 

Make sure to always come to classes prepared and on time: Millennium teachers have no tolerance for late or absent students unless it’s a serious situation. When you come on time with all the materials you need, the teachers would have more respect for you and think of you highly as a devoted dedicated student. 

Put academics before everything else: Make sure your work is all turned in and you truly understand the material before doing things you want to do. You will be on a great track and won’t have to worry about any incomplete or late assignments. 

Ask for Help!!!: Many students underestimate how much the teachers really help them until they go to office hours. Teachers have it for a reason and that’s to specifically help YOU the students! NEVER be afraid to ask for help about any concerns or problems you have with work or anything else! The teachers are here to support you in each and every way! 

Get involved with clubs: The more involvement you have in clubs, the better it will be later on for your college resume and with the community of Millennium. Like I said earlier, clubs are an easy way to make more friends and help others in the community out while doing stuff that you’re passionate about. 

Overall, this is my experience and rundown of my time at Millennium. I hope that this guide helps all you future students at Millennium achieve the highest success and get more knowledge on how Millennium truly is. I wish the readers of this the best of luck in high school and to enjoy the 4 years while it lasts. It goes by faster than you think it does.