Dear freshmen, don’t outgrow your relationships

Yoshita Sanivarpu, Sofía Exposito, and Z Woodson • February 25, 2026

Coppell Middle School North eighth grader Sergio Exposito eats ice cream with his grandmother Tania Sanchez. The Sidekick staff members Z Woodson, Yoshita Sanivarpu and Sofia Exposito give freshmen advice to encourage balance between spending time with friends and family and schoolwork.

“Dear Freshmen” is a series where a sophomore, junior and senior staff member each provide personal anecdotes along with advice about a certain topic with the aim of helping the incoming sophomores and current freshmen.

In this edition of Dear Freshmen, The Sidekick staffers advise about the importance of maintaining social and family relationships while navigating academic demands of high school.

Z Woodson - Staff Writer

In my freshman year, I was worried I would never see my friends since we did not have classes together. However, everything worked out in the end with communication and planning.

I ate lunch with them everyday and walked with them to class and back, which helped us bond. The little things can always help strengthen relationships.

I would go to school early to hang out with them in the cafeteria. On both A and B days I walked to class with my friends because we had classes in the same hallway. That made me feel more connected with them.

If you cannot get to school early or do not have lunch with your friends, you can schedule weekend hangouts or go home with them during the week, and you can plan when you are free to meet for lunch or go to an event together.

Planning your hangouts weeks in advance may seem over the top, but it is worth it in the end. When you have a set day just for you and your friends, it makes everything about that day more special.

The best thing to remember about maintaining friendships is that communication is very important. Without communication, people can get confused and frustrated. Communicate with your friends and everything will fall into place.

Yoshita Sanivarpu - Staff Writer

“Work hard for four years without any distractions and then you can do whatever you want after that.”

These were the very words that pressured me to strive to perfection. Every grade, every extracurricular, every decision I made determined whether my four years grueling work in high school mattered or not.

To strive for success, I believed I needed to wipe out any distractions. That included hanging out and enjoying time with my friends and family.

Why waste time having fun when I could be studying instead?

A lot of high schoolers, including me, believe they always need to be doing something that can help their future. This results in less time dedicated to friends or family as students spend more and more time on school, extracurriculars and fun.

However, building and maintaining valuable relationships does more than contribute to one’s future. It satisfies the heart.

Friends and family serve as valuable comfort during the highs and lows. These are the people that will be there to comfort you during your worst and congratulate you during your best. Whenever you are with them you are bound to show that big toothy grin of yours. Once you’re off to college or whatever it is you want to do in the future, it will be even harder to maintain your connections. Eventually, you’ll be sitting in a rocking chair wishing for more memories, more time with your friends and family.

Remember, you only live once, so live without regrets.

Sofía Exposito

As I grew older, I realized my family and those who are close to me created a soft spot that I could always fall into when I was overwhelmed.

However, I never noticed their importance until I realized that I will be leaving soon to pursue my own life goals in college.

Once one notices their absence, it is challenging to concentrate on any task without feeling an empty void within themselves.

High schoolers oftentimes take for granted the quality time they spend with their family. I, for example, often preferred to take a head start on any school homework instead of laying down on the couch with my parents to watch a movie.

Today, I wish instead of thinking of assignments, I would’ve made some memories with my parents while we watched whatever was on the television.

I would encourage freshmen to have daily conversations with their parents. Ask them how their day was at work, listen to their hardships and their highlights. I suggest going for a walk with them after schoolwork is completed, or something simpler like having dinner with the whole family from time to time.

This not only reinforces a connection, but also helps take your mind off any stress that you may be carrying.

It may seem unnatural at first, but taking those small steps helps lay the foundation and create a greater mental fortitude benefitting you for the rest of your life.

School is important, but not as much as your family.

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About the Contributors

Yoshita Sanivarpu, Staff Photographer

Yoshita Sanivarpu is a junior at Coppell High School and second year staff photographer for The Sidekick. After taking photos in her first year, Yoshita developed a passion for photos. She is looking forward to another multimedia filled year in The Sidekick. In her free time you can find her reading, composting, soldering or watching TV shows. Yoshita can be contacted through email at [email protected].

Sofía Exposito, Executive Design Editor/Webmaster

Sofia Exposito is a senior and the Executive Design Editor/ Webmaster for The Sidekick. After moving from Maracay, Venezuela to Coppell, Texas in 2018, Sofia entered a new realm of opportunities to explore and learn from.

She developed a passion for drawing and started to grow her artistic skills that eventually landed her in the newspaper program. She loves to create comics, design cartoons for stories that involve emotions as well as fabricating intricate page designs for print issues. As an artist, Sofia finds her inspiration from all types of places. Movies and shows like Big Hero 6, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K and Tangled motivate her to sketch characters and make stories surrounding them. Places like the beach, cafes and her own room are her favorite spots to concentrate on different tasks. Contact Sofia at [email protected], or on instagram (sofiaex000)..

Z Woodson, Staff Writer

Z Woodson is a sophomore and first-year staff writer for The Sidekick. Z was interested in The Sidekick because they love to write. Since joining The Sidekick, they have also started to do design. When not in The Sidekick, they like to play guitar, write songs, obsess over Conan Gray and various other forms of media, such as How to Train Your Dragon, Brooklyn 99 and Miraculous. You can contact them at [email protected] or @zayn.the.star on Instagram

Coppell Student Media

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Dear freshmen, don’t outgrow your relationships

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