It's just different here
Something is just different about New Life Christian High School. Besides our starting time of 8:30 a.m., small population and homemade lunch menu, something just seems to stand out.
Senior Kasey Owings said, "It feels like a family here. It's the only school that I have been to where I can talk to my teachers about all of my problems."
And I concur. I have been to many different schools, felt the different atmospheres and saw all the different surroundings; New Life is what you would call "homey."
What makes NLCHS feel like home? Well, there are connections and relationships here. Cliques are not common, and nobody is an outcast. Everybody knows everybody. Each others' favorite colors, foods and hobbies are some of the minor details that we all discover during the time we spend together.
Most of us know each other quite well. We make it a point to hang out outside of school activities and functions, but this doesn't mean we always get along. Boys know what to say to get the girls annoyed, and girls know exactly how to irritate the boys. Attitudes and bad moods do not happen often, however, and are not long remembered.
Disciplinary action is taken when needed, but it never hinders our relationships. Even if a "blue slip" was just written with your name on it, students crowding the principal's office just to hang out is definitely permitted.
From seniors to freshmen, from eighth grade to preschool, we're all here with the same motive: to learn and grow. This isn't a place where teachers only teach us a basic education — they also teach us lifelong morals. Coming to school isn't something they have to do, it's something they want to do.
Teacher Sandi Waters explained it best at our first chapel. She said, "We love you guys very much; we want you guys to come here and get a good education, but that's not all there is. We want to see you guys make it. We want to see you grow and become the men and women of God that you were called to be. We're on your side! We want you guys to know that we love you."
The staff at NLCHS goes above and beyond to show how much they appreciate being here. We're surrounded by teachers who do not just show up for a paycheck. This is proven by all of their overtime hours and extra activities they do for us, including early morning breakfasts, trips to Apple Hill, tea parties, "purple nights" and invitations to class dinners at their homes.
The staff takes time out of their lives to help students. From spending hours in prayer, giving words of encouragement or sending text messages to make sure we are OK, the staff leads by example.
After graduation, not many students will say they'll miss high school or their teachers, but it's different with the NLCHS Crusaders. Alumnus Mikie DeLozier illustrated this when he said that upon waking for what would normally be his first day of school, he realized that he had to stay home.
There's just something different about New Life Christian High School, something that seems like home.
Leanna Whiteley is a senior at New Life Christian High School. Her column appears every six weeks in Education.
