Perspectives on a new year at PCHS

by:  Katie Brentlinger, Senior, Class of 2014

 

   It’s the end of summer. Everyone knew it would come, but I don’t think many of us realized just how close it really was. But what we have to remember is that there really is no end, just the beginning of something new. That’s this school year. Our lives are moving forward and taking us to new and greater places.

  Seniors-We’ve ruled this school for four years, and as this school year slowly starts, we are prepared to work hard to earn our place in a much larger world than Pike County High School. We are preparing for college, and as our lives move forward, we will never forget what helped us make it.

   Juniors-You’ve been here for three years, and this year will be the most fun. You’ll realize your place in Pike County High School, and you’ve already found your friends. You know the teachers, and you feel comfortable walking the halls. Your year will be full of tests that will prepare you for 12^th grade and a life after high school.

   Sophomores- You are no longer a freshmen! That’s cause to rejoice. You have a sense of what direction you want to go, and you have prepared to work hard and earn a respectable place in the school. Don’t try too hard; it’s easier to find than you think. Your life is still beginning at PCHS, and I promise if you focus on your work and work hard, it will breeze by. Look forward to your years left of high school, because after that they are gone, and you will be thrust into a very strange world. Take advantage of the education in front of you.

   Freshmen- You’re new here, and we all welcome you to our school. We are happy that you have arrived because without you there would be no future. You are the future of Pike County High School, and I hope you will truly realize that. Work hard, because if you do, one day you’ll be lucky enough to have half days. Push your way to the top, but don’t go alone, take along those who will value your friendship. Pick friends for who they are, not who they act like. It’s difficult to tell, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re all so bright and eager to be here. We’re proud that you all made it.

   For all of us, the 2013-2014 school year has just begun. My hope for us is that we realize that together we can do anything. If we are just willing to give a helping hand to those who need it, just willing to go out of our way to help someone with directions. If we were so kind as to give a simple smile to someone who doesn’t have one, that is what will make this school year great. It’s not so much the grades, though those are important, but that we try our best on the way. Don’t be afraid to talk to your teachers; don’t be afraid to ask a fellow student that gets it for help. Don’t be afraid to shine, and don’t be afraid to stand out. You are all wonderful people, and you need to realize that. I pray for success this year for all of us, and I pray that we have the strength, courage, and motivation, to keep it up till the last school bell rings. Good luck to us all!!   

The First Day

By: Julie Morris, Eighth Grade Teacher

No matter what our age, the anticipation of the first day of school is very similar. At bedtime the night before that new day, we visualize the perfect day with our closest friends gathered around us. Our teacher of course is funny, sweet and very helpful to bring us all the knowledge we need to obtain. Our students are all well behaved, prepared, and ready to learn. We picture ourselves looking our best and we want to make a good first impression. Student or teacher, we are much more conscious of how we dress and look because we want to be accepted by everyone. Inside of the excitement, sleep does not come easy.

The silence of the first day is deceiving and known by teachers to be a temporary utopia but a nice beginning. Students sit watching their teachers and waiting to see what word of direction they are given. The honeymoon period will be brief and eventually the discovery of one another’s deepest darkest secrets and personality traits will come forth. The new shiny shoes and neatly pressed clothes will tarnish and stain with time but as in the past will become as accepted and understood as the bond of trust between one another.

Students are prepared with their “bouquets of sharpened pencils.” Notebook and supplies in hand are ready to be used. No one complains when they are told to get to work. We are ready to get back in the saddle to complete the task before us. Children are eager to help one another find where to go and what to do. Kindness and consideration are dominant traits on this fresh day.

Just as the morning was anticipated, the end of the day is just as desired. Our brains become mush and we cannot discuss one more procedure or rule because the cup is overflowing and the warmth of the “new school year” has cooled. We are ready to go home, refresh and return tomorrow. 

We have survived the first day of school and the next day will not look the same. So the journey begins for our bonding, growing, and learning together. Like the days and years which have passed, the excitement will wane as the relationships – good and not so good – begin.