STRESS at WHS

(sorry mrs. cardona! literally woke up 2 seconds ago....)
No one can deny that stress levels at Wayzata high school are astronomical. This is a topic that has come up several times already since the beginning of the term in Psycology class. What I want to know is, why? Mr. Johnson has been implying that the stress is higher than many surrounding schools. Do we put the pressure on ourselves as students? Or is it the overall expectations of the school? I personally think it's a mixture of both. Everyone knows that Wayzata is one of the best public schools around  and therefore wants to succeed. The teachers and administrators also want to maintain our good reputation. Wayzata has been stereotyped as being snobby and stuck up--our stress situation has not helped to break this perception of our school. While we're striving to be the best in everything that we do, Wayzata kids no doubt come across as snobs. I personally, don't want to be viewed this way, but i know that there are times when I am. While not all students put the academic pressure on themselves, I am definitely one that does. I want to succeed. It's as simple as that. I feel like if I don't recieve that stellar GPA I will have let myself down. Because of this, I freak out about failing a reading quiz in AP Comp and getting my first grade lower than an A last term in this class....Why am I doing this to myself? It's called AP for a reason and colleges will recognize that when viewing my transcript, but the stress is still there. I can't help it. At my old school in small town, Ohio, the academic expectations and standards aren't there. I can't help but believe I wouldn't be this worried about my grades and getting into a good college if  I still lived there. The stress just comes with the prestige of attending a top school. It can't really be avoided...and don't even get me started on the athletic pressure......