The Difference In High School
Sheridan Parker
Staff Writer
Being a new student can be quite terrifying. I would know, I have been a new student three tImes. The mix of anticipation and nervousness. Wondering who you are going to sit with at lunch, or who your friends are going to be. It is honestly one of the scariest experiences I have ever gone through. Even though my parents say it builds character.
Some people say “all schools are alike”. I find that statement both true and untrue. Obviously most schools have to be similar in some aspects, otherwise it wouldn't be a school. Other factors, such as ones that can be controlled, really helps to distinguish schools from each other.
School lunch isn’t what I would voluntarily eat everyday. most schools don’t have control over it because of state laws. However, at Pius one of the things I liked was that you could get add-on’s. They were usually baked treats, such as Val’s Bars, or brownies. At Waverly, and Vermillion, another high school I attended in South Dakota, the lunches are pretty bland.
The size of a school also matters to me. I am a small town kind of girl. Pius is not that. The school has over 1000 students. The classes aren’t personal because of that. I felt like “just another student”. Also the hallways are incredibly jam-packed, despite the fact that the school has three levels, including the basement.
At Vermillion, in my opinion the school was the perfect size. There were about 100 students per grade. This means that you basically knew everyone in at least your grade, and almost their entire life story. Most people also knew the entire school, especially if you had older or younger siblings.
Even though Waverly is a similar size to Vermillion, it is a little big for me, but it is a lot more adapt to the size that I prefer than Lincoln schools.
Because of the size, Waverly is sort of the “best of both worlds”, being that it is so close to a major metropolitan area, Lincoln, and also that you still have the hometown feel to it. I am open enrolled here in Waverly. I live in Lincoln, I commute almost 20 minutes a day. Going to a large Lincoln school would not be a good experience for me.
Another benefit of a school like Waverly is that you have a variety of clubs, and other extracurriculars such as sports. Although, the school is not so big that you feel like you aren’t a part of what you participate in. Often with large schools, the average person can not be able to participate in something they want to because of the size, and that they may not be as advanced as others. The cycle continues, and most of the same kids get chosen for events. That really doesn’t happen here, when at Pius that happened often.
A disadvantage to a small school is favoritism. This can happen anywhere, but especially in a small community. It happens often. A basketball coach and teacher at Vermillion had her favorite students and players, and she went to school with all her favorites parents, and was close to them. She was very partial to those who were born and raised into the small community.
I have been getting adjusted to Waverly, and I look forward to spending the rest of my high school career here.
