With a new year, comes new goals and resolutions.  Something about the new year encourages people to change themselves for the better.  Many feel that a new year is like a clean slate for opening new doors and starting anew.  Others feel that the new year is just a mental start point that many seem to procrastinate until to make empty promises of change in themselves.  

Getting fit and healthy is a popular objective amongst many people.  Senior, Gianna Calandra, explains, “My new year’s resolution for 2016 is to eat healthier and go to the gym more often.”  A countless amount of people strive to lead a healthier lifestyle and find inspiration in having a fresh start.  “I think that the new year is a good time to start (to eat healthier and exercise more often) because I will remember it as my starting point,” adds Gianna.  

Breaking bad and unhealthy habits is also a major ambition for many people with the new year.  “In 2016, I want to start to straighten my hair less often,” explains senior Melissa Mcloughlin.  Breaking habits can be hard with a teenage student’s busy schedule.  The new year is a time when students are able to take a small break from their priorities and concentrate on things that they were to busy to pencil in before.  

A common resolution for the new year among Verona High School students is increasing social interaction and enhancing communal skills.  For many seniors, college is right around the corner.  Verona High School students are not exposed to a lot of diversity or change in an environment which makes the idea of college somewhat foreign and unfamiliar.  Now is a good time to improve social skills to insure comfort and good company in a new environment with different kinds of people.  

Although the new year seems like a good time to make positive changes, some find it to be anti-climactic.  Senior, Claudia Palma, mentions, “I think that positive changes should be made year round and those who wait until new year’s to try to make changes don’t often succeed.”  Claudia adds “If someone is not motivated to change until the new year begins, they probably will not stay motivated for long after January first.”