Becoming a Freshman at a new school can be exciting, frightening, and new to most. Link Leaders are here to make it easier for the Freshmen to find classes and feel welcome at Highland, but do they really? We wanted to see how Freshmen really felt during their first couple of weeks at Highland by surveying a class of thirty-four students.   

We developed nine questions, to ask Freshmen, to cover a wide range of things that they experienced during their first week here. We asked the students the following questions:

• Our first question was about about the school itself, we asked them what their favorite part of Highland was. Their answer could be about the environment, the people, the classes, or even some of the clubs or activities.
• The second and third questions asked about Link Crew events, and the Link Crew leaders themselves.
• The fourth and fifth questions were about whether or not students were going to school events, and or if they joined any sports or clubs.
• The sixth question asked what the students were expecting, and whether or not the school is close to their expectation.
• The seventh question asked about which class was their favorite.
• The eighth was about if they felt welcome at Highland.
• The last question asked how they felt about their first week overall.   

The Link Crew leaders made a presence to the Freshmen. A lot of the Freshmen saw their Link Crew leaders and maybe said, “Hi” if they needed help with something. The Link Crew did their job and helped out the Freshman which is good to hear.

With Link Crew comes Link Crew events, almost every Freshman attended the events of Freshmen Fun Night and Shananalympics. Even though the Link Crew events were a hit, the Friday night football game was a not with most of the Freshmen because about 68 percent decided not to go.

Many sports and clubs are available to incoming Freshmen, ranging from soccer to science . We asked if they had joined any clubs or sports and most had. Freshmen in our survey joined a wide variety of clubs which included: cross country, football, dance, tennis, and robotics. A common answer was “not yet” so we’re expecting more Freshmen to join clubs in the latter part of the year.

The second part of the survey was more about the Freshman experience with the the school and its environment. Right off of the bat we asked the students what their favorite part of Highland was. Although it would be hard to list all thirty-four students responses, here are some of the best and most interesting:

• Lots of students liked seeing their friends and meeting new ones, many Freshmen thought the teachers use the class time wisely which is nice.
• The athletic program seems to be enjoyable for a lot of Freshmen especially for the football players.
• People seem to think that Highland is a comfortable environment to learn. Link Crew leaders contribute to this feeling with their events that they run for the Freshmen.
• Freshmen seem to think that a lot of the students here are nice and treat one another with respect.

We asked them what they thought of the first week overall, and most students said that they had enjoyed it, liked their teachers, and felt welcome.

Being a Freshman is a challenge at first, but from the responses we got Highland seems to make it an easier experience.  

This year’s HPSH lunch schedule changed to first lunch being after 3rd hour and second lunch being after 4th hour, whereas the last school year  had first lunch after 4th hour and second lunch after 5th hour. Since I had first lunch last year, I was interested in seeing what they do the same and what is different between the two lunches, and I also wanted to see what impact the change in time had on people.

I went to visit first lunch and talked to my friends asking them how they felt about the new schedule. One of them didn’t mind at all about the schedule. The other said that you get used to it pretty quickly, but added on that they do feel hungry later on.

The lunch room didn’t seem as crowded during first lunch, but there were still a lot of people. People who bring their own lunch can go and eat outside near the link.

Something different about first lunch from second lunch is that in second lunch, we have to wait until 11:19 to be able to leave and wait down by the Link, whereas for first lunch, they can leave to wait at the Link whenever they finish their food.

I soon found out later that the reason why the lunch schedule was changed is because the Junior High’s schedule didn’t fit at all, because they moved back to a six period day, so they decided to change the lunch schedule instead of classes.

I think this year’s lunch will be just fine, hopefully everyone thinks so too. Even though a lot of people started off the year complaining about how early lunch was, they quickly became used to it.

Below are copies of the old lunch schedule and the new schedule for comparison.

Senior year of high school leads to a lot of “lasts,” but for the first time students will be navigating the college admissions process while trying to make the most of what’s left of high school. Start senior year focused and prepared by knowing what to expect and how to solve any challenges you may face.

Now here are a couple of things to expect senior year, and how to handle them:

Grades STILL matter.

• Colleges look at grades from all four years of high school. Colleges require
  you to submit a final grade report, and poor grades senior year can keep you out of your dream college. Some colleges have been known to cancel acceptances if your final transcript shows a sharp drop in grades.
• Stay focused on finishing the year strong and keep grades up. Colleges will notice that you’re working hard and that you have the maturity to handle a college course load.

You will be busy so stay organized.

• Time management is essential to your success, especially as you dive deep into college applications. Set aside time for studying, homework, and extracurricular activities.

Making sure to keep these things in mind will help you have a successful senior year.

Goodbye class of 2016!

The last day for senior’s was on Friday, June 3rd, and that was also the day of the senior send-off. The send-off is for the whole school to recognize the graduating class and say our goodbye’s. The senior-send off assembly included, teachers and students giving their final words of advice for after high school, younger siblings saying goodbye to their senior siblings, a senior slideshow with pictures of the seniors throughout their time here at Highland, and finally the seniors leaving – walking down the middle of the gym hugging their teachers and tearing up saying their goodbyes.

The rest of the students watch the assembly for the seniors. Some get sad saying goodbye to their senior friends. I asked some juniors what they thought of the senior goodbye, considering that the juniors here at Highland are the ones who’ve been in high school the longest with the class of 2016.

Did you get sad at this year’s senior goodbye?

“Yes, I cried, not specifically for any seniors, just because of the scene and the music playing. It’s just sad,” answered Keshya Bailey-Phelps (11).

“It was sad, I didn’t cry though. I wasn’t too close to any of the seniors this year,” answered Gabriela Masiello (11).

“It was very sad, I cried because all of my best friends graduated and it’s sad to think that they’re not going to be here in school with me next year,” answered DJ Kahassai (11).

Did you think the senior send-off is a relevant assembly?

“Yes, of course! It’s very important because not all of us will see some of the seniors again so its important for us to say goodbye at the senior send-off,” answered Keshya Bailey-Phelps (11).

“Yeah, it is. It’s my favorite, yet least favorite assembly of the year. It’s the saddest one, but it’s the one that I actually care about and would be sad if I didn’t attend it,” answered Gabriela Masiello (11).

“Yeah, it’s important for the seniors to get their own separate assembly just for them so they know we all hope the best for them,” answered DJ Kahassai (11).

Congratulations to the graduating Highland Park class of 2016! Class of 2017, we’re next!

The day June 8, 2016 will now be remembered for the graduation of Highland’s 2016 Senior Class. On that night, friends and family of the graduating class gathered together to celebrate this monumental night in all of our lives. The ceremony was held at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown Saint Paul, and started at 5:30 p.m.

The night was kicked off by the Highland Park Symphonic Band, directed by Joel Matuzak. The Symphonic Band was followed up by a welcome speech from the Senior Class Advisor Charlotte Landreau.

Once finished, the Highland Park Concert Choir, conducted by Kate Mendenhall sang the National Anthem. The National Anthem was followed by greetings from Michelle Walker, as well as Zuki Ellis. After their greetings, the Concert Choir sang their final peace “Seasons of Love”.

After the Concert Choir sang, members of the Senior Class Council stood on the stage and gave their greeting speech. The Class Council speech was followed by a soloist performance from Claudia Stensrud of “Unwritten”.

The Student Valedictory Speech came next, presented by Leah Kanihan.

Then the Symphonic Band played another piece, before Richard Jensen (who had been chosen by the graduating Senior Class) gave his Commencement Address.

This was followed by Dr. Winston H. Tucker’s presentation of the graduating class, and Mary Vanderwert Conferring of Diplomas.

Then came the Presentation of Graduates, who were welcomed up on stage by members of the Senior Class Council.

Lastly was the farewell, arranged by Joel Matuzak and the Symphonic Band. Friends and family were then invited to meet the graduates in Tower Hall, where they received their diplomas after the ceremony.