Make the most of your education

According to Sutter County data, as of 2009, there are 12 school districts in Sutter County, including five public high schools: River Valley, Yuba City, Sutter Union, Live Oak and East Nicolaus. I listed the high schools in order of enrollment, from largest to smallest.

As Live Oak High School is the second smallest public high school in Sutter County, the Live Oak public feels this tight-knit high school boasts real advantages over schools twice or three times as big. One advantage in particular is intimacy. The intimacy we have at hand, especially with our teachers, greatly factors into how they show us the meaning of our education.

Ask around and students will tell you about how LOHS teachers have helped to shape their perspectives on their education.

Reid Pelfrey, 18, said, "The most important part of our education doesn't necessarily take place in the classroom."

Simranjot Phagura, 18, quoted the charismatic art teacher, Greg Sanchez — also known as tennis coach extraordinaire: "(There is) no such thing as a stupid student, only a lazy one, so work hard." We have many down-to-earth teachers here at LOHS, which only makes the experience more enjoyable.

Simranjot added, "In terms of a life-long career, do what you want and what you're interested in, not what brings the most money and what other people perceive as prestigious. You might own a yacht in the Bahamas, but you can end up being miserable."

LOHS alum Jorge Delgado, 20, said, "It's not about how much you know, but how you apply what you do know."

Brian Tolentino, 14, said, "Aim for the stars, and if you miss, maybe you'll be lucky and not land on a moon rock."

Personally, I feel that because of this small school environment, I have developed great connections with my teachers. Through their teachings, I've learned that in our education, we must do what we want — it is, after all, what we will be doing for the rest of our lives. We can't all strive to get into best colleges, be NCAA Division I athletes, have the most money or obtain the best reputation — and we don't have to.

We've been taught to find value and meaning in the path of education we choose to take, not what others see fit. In the same way, we are taught to let nothing jeopardize our education. In other words, we could brag about our sports programs, our clubs, our renewed campus, but in the end, in our final year, it will be that college admissions letter that is the beginning of the rest of our lives.

David Zermeño is a senior at Live Oak High School. His column appears every six weeks in Education.