On January 10th, We had our second senior class meeting. It was basically a meeting where we talked about making sure we are on track to graduate and also about graduation. You could feel the excitement in the room as we are going into our second semester of our last year in high school. We talked about three main things: keeping grades up, senior field trip, and cap and gowns.

Grades

Seniors have been in high school for about 3 years now and are familiar with keeping grades up in order to pass a class and go on to the next grade.

Well, when senior year hits, students tend to think that there isn’t much effort needed in order to graduate, which is false.

In the meeting, counselors talked about how students tend to take it easy and not care as much and end up failing a class which prohibits them from being able to graduate. We should still care about our grades because of that, but also because colleges are still going to be looking at our grades even after they have accepted us. It is important that we seniors take this advice and do it.

Cap And Gown

The second half of the senior meeting involved making sure you fit your cap and gown perfectly. Making sure you look your best during graduation day is key when it comes to walking down that stage with your diploma in hand.

The seniors were given a short link, to type on their phones, which opened up a site, which basically got them ready for ordering their cap and gowns. On this website, the seniors had to type out their personal information like their name and email, and they had to put down their weight, and height.

An important reminder went out to the people wearing heels… “If you plan on wearing heels, you need to add on an inch or more when writing down your height.”

Senior Field Trip

The seniors were also given permission slips to the next senior field trip, which will happen on February 7th, on a Thursday. The field trip starts at 9:15am and goes to 1:00pm. The fee is $18 which covers a bus ride, and two hours of SNOW TUBING.

This field trip was planned by the senior class council, and the rest of the student class voted on it.

Permission slips are due back by Tuesday, January 29th, to Ms. Zepeda in the counseling office. Any questions, please talk to Ms. Esso.

By: Vivian S

Next semester, there are two new electives coming to Highland!

There is Beginning Dance, which will be during period 6. You will learn: the social, performing, and traditional forms of some basic dances; a bit of the history of dance; information about viewing and choreographing a dance or performance; and the parts of performance.

The teacher is Mr. Keefe. Whether or not you have experience, this class is open to you. To sign up, go to the Google Doc, or visit your counselor while you still can.

The other elective is Social Justice Theatre, during period 7, where you’ll have conversations about privilege, equity, justice, identity, etc. in order to create pieces with spoken word, music, improvisation, and storytelling. There is no experience needed to be a part of this class.

The teacher is Ms. Michael. Do you want to learn how to use your voice to spark the change you want in the world? This class is for you. Sign up by going to the Google Doc, or visiting your counselor.

In interviewing Ms. Michael, she said that she believes theatre provides an opportunity to explore our world. In the class, you will be digging into your own identity, how the world sees you and how you see yourself, who you want to be and what you can change. She looks forward to getting to know everyone. She thinks that students will enjoy conversations that will happen, and seeing how theatre can change the world. She believes Highland does need this class, as there are so many loud people promoting hate out there, students need a chance to share how this impacts them, and raise their voices as well.

The ultimate deadline for signing up for these classes is the start of quarter 3.

These electives were made because students expressed an interest in them.

If you can’t sign up for these classes, don’t worry, there are other opportunities for similar activities. There is an Intro to Theatre class 6th period and there’s a DP dance class 7th period. You can also join the Urban Dance Club.

If you’re interested in either of these electives, sign up now!

It’s that exciting time of the year, that goes on until spring, where seniors are getting there acceptance letters from college.

It is exciting, and overwhelming, to hear back from the colleges that you have been thinking about since the minute you entered high school, and have been working towards for the past four years. It can get nerve racking waiting to hear back, and sometimes it can be news that you weren’t expecting, but don’t let this stop you from believeing that you won’t get into the school you want.

When applying to college, it all begins with the excitment of being able to think about all the possibilities for you out there, to learn how to be independent and really start the earning process for your future goals. But, it can sometimes result in feeling crushed once you have realized that you haven’t been accepted into the school of your dreams. Don’t let this get to you, it can have a toll, but that just means that there is a better option out there for you.

At the end of the day, acceptance season can be really exciting but scary. It’s just making sure you know that even if it’s bad news, you won’t let it rain on you, because an acceptance letter will be coming sooner or later.