I feel slightly more worried! My school pressurises us so much! It is one of those high power school. If we get a single grade below an A, they expel us so that we do not damage their A Level Results. They came very first in the league table last year (last set of results) and plan to keep it! A B and we are expelled! A C and we are expelled with a very bad report (didn't do enough work, lazy, they actually threaten that sometimes)
Although in High School (I didn't go to a fancy prep school or anything like that) I did get all A's (I found it quite less than challenging), we certainly wouldn't be expelled if we didn't - far from it. Luckily, I had other activities to occupy my time and offer challenges (work at the hospital lab - for pay and volunteer both, martial arts - multi-level black belts in two separate disciplines (ninjutsu and aiki-jutsu), target shooting - expert marksman with several handguns (especially my customized Beretta), and some lesser interests). Remember, I'm 54 so no internet and no personal computers.
College (Johns Hopkins University) was quite different and a challenge all on its own. I did NOT get all A's there - much to my dismay. Luckily, even such a highly honored and famous university didn't go anywhere near that far - I KNOW everyone didn't get A's (though I believe some actually did) and I KNOW some who got D's or even F's and still they were allowed to stay and graduate (though for some even the school's reputation wasn't enough to get them into graduate school, law school, medical school or whatever - and even finding a decent job was tough going). I couldn't afford to continue education past college, but my grades did land me a good job with decent compensation and a reasonably good chance for advancement - which kept me occupied and quite successful until my mid-life crisis total change of careers (where I also did quite well though being self-employed and the owner makes it harder to measure success in the same way).
I guess my point is that while grades and advancement came relatively easy to me (as I'm sure grades do for you at the moment), I never was under the pressure you just described (except on my wedding day - LOL!). I don't know if that's the correct way to do things, but there is something to be said for the record of success of places like that (there aren't many here in the States, but of course there are some and while I could have "made the grades" I most certainly could not have afforded such a place nor would I have enjoyed the atmosphere and probably been unable to pursue the interests I did pursue in High School). Still, in the end, I'm sure you'll make it (unless you allow too many side-interests distract you to the point where even you can't keep up with the school work even if you do find it reasonably easy to the point where these other interests have grown to their present point). Just keep your priorities clear - completing your current education there at your age MUST take precedence over just about everything else except family and if they're good family, they'll agree.
You're right, it should be quite possible to "track you down" if someone wanted to do so (especially with a personal web-site which is easy enough to check) - though I'm not sure I see the point - you're Richard or Niemiro and that's all we really need to know (certainly all I need to know). VERY few of you know my real first name and AFAIK none my last name (except maybe - well, actually almost certainly - the Mods and Admins). I suppose one could now check university records knowing my date of birth and that I'm probably male (I am - though some think Lorien is female-sounding, it comes from the character in the TV series Babylon-5 which was my favorite show of all time) and from that and my current location and owning a computer-repair business here for about 20 years come pretty close to identifying me as well. Frankly, I don't really care if it does happen (well, perhaps a little) - but I do prefer to simply "hide" under my Lorien alias despite how much personal information I tend to disclose as I think of many of you as friends and it seems only natural as I tend to be honest and forthcoming with my friends.
EGAD! Another long post. LOL! Anyway, don't worry about it - just do what you need to do to stay there and graduate (and you know what that is and can easily do it if you keep your extra-curricular activities reasonable). I have faith you'll do the right thing and all will be fine.
,admitting, that year was kinda bad, teachers coming and going once they found out about the school's closing...
