Gridley students eager for fun spring

The holidays are over, and that means the return to school. The crisp, cold weather has got everyone on his or her toes, keeping each wide awake and eager to get a fresh start this semester. The time before winter break at Gridley High School came to a close after finals at the end of the semester. Now that everyone is back, things are picking up right where they left off.

With everyone returning to GHS, that includes the return of history teacher Sherie Kermen, who was on maternity leave last semester. All of us here have welcomed her back with open arms.

"It's great to be back, but at the same time, it feels like I never left. The students here are all caught up on everything and ready to get up right where they left off, and I'm excited to be able to teach them everything about U.S. history again," said Kermen, who teaches U.S. history to juniors at GHS.

This semester also marks the beginning of the end of the high school experience for this year's seniors. While some may think of this time as bittersweet, others are ready to grasp the new opportunities that lay ahead of them.

"I'm really looking forward to graduating and starting my life out of high school," said Katie Will, a GHS senior. "This being my last semester, it is all becoming real that I'm almost done. This semester is filled with a lot of things that seniors must complete, but I like it because it helps raise the excitement that we are almost done."

Even though not much has been going on yet this semester, things are sure to pick up soon. Scholarships are already floating around school. About three different speech contest scholarship programs are already available for people to register for and try to win. We all wish the best of luck to those who enter.

A few school events are right around the corner as well. On Feb. 5, there is an annual school dance called "Twirp." Twirp is like the opposite of prom, where instead of guys asking girls, the girls get a chance to ask the guys in a fun, creative way if they want. It is just a fun time for everyone to dance and have a good time.

Also, the ski club has been trying to plan an overnight skiing trip in February as well. The members have been hard at work making sure everything goes well and that they raise enough money to make the trip.

Sports are still going strong. Basketball and wrestling tournaments continue, and the soccer season is off to a great start. Even off-season training has already begun for next season's football players.

Let's hope all of us can keep our spirits high as we go through the last semester of the school year at Gridley High School.

Mariah Holmes is a junior at Gridley High School. Her column appears every six weeks in Education.