Hello freshmen, and welcome to your first Bell Online article. Like you, the writers of this article went through the struggle of adapting to the best high school in the world. As a result, we, Bellarmine veterans, have decided to give you some quick pointers to ensure that when you’re finally on campus, you won’t make the same mistakes that some of your upperclassmen have made.

Remote Learning Tips:

  1. This is a subtle reminder to not mute or remove any of your peers or your teachers during a call. I understand that it may seem “funny” to see a classmate get kicked out, but you need to understand that you’re ruining someone’s learning experience. Unless someone is making a lot of noise and have forgotten to turn off their mic, then I assume that’s the only time when you should do it.
  2. Make good use of your time. Underclassmen often have the vice of being procrastinators. Remember that homework comes first. At home, you’ll have so much more time than at school; get used to not having as much time when we finally arrive on campus. Work efficiently, your already messed up sleep schedule will thank you.
  3. Pay attention in class. We already know this saying, “Make sure that you are mentally in class and not just physically there”. Well, at home nobody can really see what you’re doing so it may seem like a good opportunity to do something else. But remember, you’ll still have exams on the content so pay attention.
  4. Now it is time to move onto some lessons from stories that have circulated on campus during the time of remote learning. Tip 1: Remember to unmute yourself. As simple as it seems, just unmute yourself to save time and so that you don’t look like a fool in front of your new teachers and classmates. Tip 2: Remember to tell your teachers if your mic or camera is broken before class starts or else they’ll mark you absent. Don’t forget to do attendance polls or you might get a nice email from the dean’s office.

You all might already know how to deal with distance learning. But when you go back to school, it’s going to be a whole other beast. BTW, if you think that your Big Brother told you enough information during a session called “freshmen orientation”, I am happy to confirm that you have not seen enough yet.

  1. The best water fountains are next to the library. Matthewson and Carney come in a close second. Don’t be tricked into going to the cafeteria’s water fountains, the walk is not worth it to get there.
  2. For restrooms, I would honestly say that Lokey restrooms are the best, with Sobrato finishing second (2nd floor’s is the best).
  3. For Lokey, just remember that there are two wings for Lokey. One is the massive hallway while the other is to the right of when you enter Lokey from the main entrance. I found it hard to find my first class because I thought my classroom was on the other side.
  4. For Sobrato, good luck if you have 3rd floor. It is one of the most treacherous treks at Bellarmine. The amount of pain and suffering that your legs will feel by the time you’re up there is unexplainable. Other than that, Sobrato is kind of cool, but you should actually keep out of the places that have a sign that says students are not allowed.
  5. For the SLC and gym, you are always welcome to print and go to helpdesk at the Student Life Center. If you want a place to do homework, go to the library, not SLC. It’s much quieter there. The gym is always open as long as there isn’t a class there so you’re free to bring a ball to play.
  6. For the cafeteria here are some recs: get a breakfast burrito and try it (you’ll love it or hate it), the cookies, muffins and curly fries are also very good. The library is nice to go to to do homework with your friends but remember – you can’t play games in there.
  7. For O’Donnell, you go there for language, Computer Science (the basement), and some English classes. Most of the time, language classes are held here and you can stop by the CSP office to talk about your volunteer hours. Honestly, it’s one of my least favorite buildings because the closed staircase has a really strong scent of burnt rubber, so I usually opt to take the open staircase that is also a path to the basement. The S&D office is on the third floor. Have fun walking up. The basement is a really nice place to be with furniture. It also has a ping pong table for all you table tennis enthusiasts.
  8. Matthewson is a place to go to for English. When you think about what happens on the second floor, just know that admin work their and you shouldn’t walk up there out of curiosity. But guess what, only cool people, like one of the writers of this article, have been allowed to go up there and ask for an interview. Matthewson’s desks are kind of weird. You’ll see when you get to campus.
  9. Don’t trust upperclassmen for a lot of help as a freshman. They’ll try to mess around with you any way possible. (JK)

Good look freshmen. I hope you enjoy your time here and Go Bells!