Have you ever thought about the High School experience? Well, some may view High School as “boring” and “scary,” while others might view it as a “roller-coaster” and a “second home.”

High School, in my opinion, can give you mixed emotions. One day you’re happy, the next day you’re sad, and in the next two weeks you’re stressed. It just keeps going in a cycle! Let’s be real, the saying that High School “is the best four years” in an individual’s educational career is a myth. However, there are untouchable and memorable events that you can experience in High School.

Starting off with my experience…

My High School experience at Hillcrest has been a crazy and bumpy road considering that I’m just a Junior in High School. Freshman year was the year of stress-free and just getting to know the ways of High School. I came into the doors of High School with a nervous face, wondering if I would survive for 4 years. However, transitioning to a sophomore, I have come to realize that High School wasn’t that tough and scary; “Why?” is the question one might ask. The reason I say High School wasn’t that scary is because I had the opportunity to meet amazing teachers and cool friends. I also had the chance to make great memories such as winning in a competition for a club and participating in school activities. Although, being a student with honors and AP classes, I have found a balance between having fun and doing school work. Moving on to Junior year has been the year that I’ve been stressing and worrying about a lot because it’s the most important year of High School. Having to prepare to take the SAT, deciding what career I want to do, researching colleges, and balancing it between the work of multiple AP and honors classes, has made me feel stressed and overwhelmed. However, I know at the end everything will be worth it. And I just hope to have an amazing time Senior year.

Diving into the minds of other students…

How do others feel about their experiences about High School and what is the best part about it? I have asked these questions from a couple of students and ask about their opinion on the High School life. As mentioned by Zaria Wilson and Jada Walker, the best part of High School is the “school spirit.” Also, according to Alonzo Arostegui, High School has been “a mixed bag” for him. He mentioned that the “clubs and teachers” are the best part of High School because the teachers are “really nice” and the clubs help him as a “distraction from the stress.”

Finishing in the hands of advisors…

Opinions regarding the experiences of High School can be different coming from a student and a teacher. A teacher’s perspective about their experience isn’t something that is questioned often. I took the opportunity to interview a couple of teachers here at Hillcrest and get a grab on their opinion. According to Ms. Anwer and Ms. Scaramella, both are social studies teachers, the best part about Hillcrest are the “students.” Ms. Anwer has mentioned that “everyday is an adventure” and that getting to know the “different personalities” that the students possess is something that she admires about teaching. While, Ms. Scaramella stated that students “end up teaching me[her] in different ways” and that she acknowledges “the love, support, and laughter” that students share with her. Hillcrest has been described as “thrilling, hyped, different, supportive, resilient, and grit” by Ms. Anwer and Ms. Scaramella. Both teachers stated that their experience at Hillcrest has been “unique and different” in comparison to their experiences at previous schools they’ve worked at.

The High School experience can be harsh and at the same time it can be fun. As described by Ms. Scaramella, “We are hawks, we stand stronger together than we do apart when we let differences get in our way.”