Being a freshman is exciting in some ways and in others, not so much. Especially when you transfer to a new place a new school and have to meet new friends while starting a new school life as well. Five weeks ago, I moved 1,000 miles to Searcy, Arkansas, from my home in Orlando, Florida. Then I started going to West Side Church of Christ and I made many new friends. I came to check out the school and I was really impressed.
In Orlando I would have been zoned to go to a school that had 3000 kids attending and a separate building gated off from the main campus just for ninth graders. This is like one big family to me. Mixing the four different grades together in classes and lunch is new to me; it feels like one big family!
The first thought that occurred to me on the first day was “Where are my classes? ” Thankfully I found them all in the five minutes I had between classes every day.
This cafeteria was also way different. West Orange had different food carts to provide different options that day. This new cafeteria feels more organized and more like a usual school.
Coming to Searcy High School only showed me how differently I really was living my life down there. Moving was the best decision I could have made for my high school years. I miss my friends, but I have made a lot here and I keep in touch with my old friends. People have been really nice welcoming me here and treat me like a close friend. The second day was great; I loved it. I met even more people and became even more comfortable in my classes. I began to pack my lunch because the lunch lines are so long. I was going to try out for the lacrosse team but I quickly found out that Searcy does not have one.
Searcy High School has many different rules than my other school did. We were allowed to use our cellphones whenever we wanted, even in the middle of class. Here we are not allowed to use them at all. The classes are different as well. In Florida, I took Advanced Gifted Honors Physical Science in seventh grade and American history in eighth grade. Now I have to repeat those classes, because they did not transfer from my old school. My school learning experience has been great yet very different. Going into each class, the teachers get us started right away. They also encourage students to work in groups and become familiar with our classmates and themselves.
My old friends still text me asking if I like my school and my answer is always, “Yes, it is way better than I thought it would be. Everybody here that I have met is so nice and helpful. I feel like I am not even new.”
Not only does Searcy High give me more of an opportunity for a better school learning environment than Florida did, but also limits the distractions the kids have and can create, which I understand completely.
With this, they create a better school surrounding for us students and teachers.
