As the third week of the second semester comes to an end, students and staff have set personal goals for themselves.

Mia Bourdakos, the senior class counselor, sees a benefit in setting goals. She said, “So I believe and I’m sure there’s research to support it, that you just want to make sure you’re constantly growing as an individual. So even if it’s like a small goal, you’re going to go to sleep a half an hour earlier or you’re just going to take a walk outside when it’s sunny, it’s really important to make goals because then you’re keeping a promise to yourself and you’re valuing yourself and showing that it’s important that you do something for you.”

As a counselor, Bourdakos also sets goals for herself. She said, “I actually set a goal to get a graduate class done, so I registered for it, and I’m giving myself a month. It’s online, so it takes the whole semester, but I want to get it crammed in before my kids come back for spring break, so I’m going to work on that tirelessly.”

Bourdakos also thinks setting goals will lead students toward success. She said, “Like you said you’re going to do something and you kept your word, you did it, you achieved the goal. It’s like a successful point in the column that, ‘hey I can do this!’ And then the more you build on that, it’s like a mental muscle to flex, like you can set bigger goals, more lofty goals.”

Mackenzie Conley, a sophomore taking six classes this semester, has set her own personal goals this semester. She said, “I want to improve on doing every assignment to the fullest potential and take my time while I do work.”

Conley wants to especially improve in her geometry class this second semester. “I am taking the honors course, so it is difficult at times. I did good last semester but hope to do even better this semester.”

Freshman Mikey Lanzara, who’s also taking six classes, decided on academic goals for himself, too. He said, “I have set goals to improve on studying and to focus on [each] class.”

Specifically, Lanzara would like to improve his performance in Mr. DiBernardo’s U.S. History class this semester. Lanzara said, “I think I can do better if I tried harder on the tests.”

In addition to her school goals, Conley takes pride in setting athletic goals for herself. She said, “I like to set goals during golf season and even during the summer. If I want to accomplish something, I will set a goal for myself and do my best to succeed.”

When his grades hit a low mark is when Lanzara feels most concerned to sets goals for himself. He said, “I have set a goal for myself to listen to the class, so I learn more and to not stop trying after I reach my goal.”

When talking to her students, Bourdakos incorporates goal-setting into her conversations with them. “So just listening to what the student wants, listening to what their needs are, their desires [are, and] what they picture themselves doing [so they can set their goals],” she said.

Bourdakos also thinks adding to your goals strengthens you individually. She said, “When you achieve small goals, it lends itself to bigger goals, and then you can achieve even bigger goals. It’s kind of like that domino effect.”