By now, I’ve been at school for a few weeks, but I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact that summer is eight months away. After so long doing absolutely nothing, it’s painful to go back to the endless routine of high school. So I decided to try to be optimistic about the coming year. Without further ado, here are 10 joys of going back to school.

Walking in on the first day and breathing in the familiar sounds of constant screaming in the hallways.

Watching teachers start out calm and relaxed, and slowly get to the point where sneezing at the wrong time can mean getting sent out of the room.

Deciding to get up earlier this year, which means hitting the snooze button four times instead of five.

The one mysterious cafeteria dish that no one wants to touch and vaguely resembles a potato. Vaguely.

Wondering if my giant backpack will give me arthritis later in life.

Feeling mildly annoyed if someone’s late to class, and then (inevitably) sidling in to class late and glaring at anyone who looks at me.

Trying to study everything, and having the one thing I didn’t study show up on the final exam that’s worth 50 percent of my grade.

Having weeks to work on a project and knowing I’m going to do it at the last minute anyway.

Trying to get good grades in 7 classes. And be well-rounded by doing extracurricular activities. And sleep eight hours a night. And eat a healthy, balanced breakfast. And be on time to school every single day. And somehow have a social life.

Three years until graduation!

I hope this list left everyone feeling extra-joyful about the coming year. Hang in there – the summer sun was increasing your chances of skin cancer anyway.

Fina Short, 14, is a sophomore at Eastside Preparatory School. She lives in Medina.