A new term brings change

Get up, or you'll be late for school. Yes, the holidays are over, and with that end the days of sleeping in warm beds away from the chills of the morning. The first day after a break always brings different experiences for different people. This was also the case at River Valley High School on Jan. 10.

Some students were glad to be back, while many others found it unappealing to get up early in the morning, especially in the freezing weather, to go to school. For seniors, the latter feeling was boosted by their eagerness for graduation.

Harman Grewal, a senior, when asked about her feelings being in her last semester before graduation, replied, "It's good to know that this is our last semester because it's so repetitive, and it seems like I've done the same thing so many times before."

Another senior, Prabhjot Aujla, found this semester a welcome reprieve: "It's is a lot easier than the last semester, so, I don't mind it as much."

A new semester started with the end of winter break. With the new year came the opportunity to experience new classes at RVHS. Just like the beginning of every other term, there were hordes of students unhappy with their classes and those who had changed their mind about taking a particular subject.

But unlike the previous year, when this phenomenon caused long lines of students outside the counseling office, a sign-up sheet provided outside the closed office door helped to reduce the number of students in line.

Although many students were dissatisfied with their chosen classes, there were many more who were pleased about their new schedule. Avneet Kaur, a sophomore, is one of these students. When asked about her classes and the first week back at the school, she commented, "I liked it — going to new classes, meeting new people and the new atmosphere."

Along with the new classes, students will soon have the opportunity to pick their classes for next fall; most juniors have already received papers for this purpose. Although it may seem too soon to think about next year, this provides students with more time to think about their choices.

Avneet agrees. She said: "It's good because now we have the time to think about next year's classes."

The first week back was a different experience for many, but the recent three-day weekend in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. agreed with most students. Shivani Sandhir, a senior, when asked if the weekend came at the right time, replied, "I think it did because the first week seemed to go on forever. I enjoyed the weekend. I was more prepared for everything, and it gave me a chance to breathe."

The first week of the new term closed with much happiness, most likely because of the three-day weekend and subsequent three and a half day week.

Sukhpreet Kaur is a senior at River Valley High School. Her column appears every six weeks in Education.