New year at LOHS holds promise

The 8 o'clock bell has rung. Students and teachers alike find themselves switching gears, at the mercy of an intense environment. Live Oak High School in the past months has changed drastically. Added to the list of fall sports, new staff members and new students comes a renovated school, one that creates a general consensus: The great new additions represent the great staff and students who attend here.

Those who have attended LOHS the past two years are simply startled with how much the school has changed. Simranjot Phagura, a senior, said, "I didn't expect them to be done with so much," acknowledging that these renovations had been in motion since last year.

The district and school staff alike believe these new additions are well deserved by LOHS students. Reid Pelfrey, a senior and prominent amateur critic at LOHS, adds his two cents with, "After years of talk and months of construction, our high school has finally attained an appearance worthy of the students that attend."

Football has started. The freshly cut grass and crippling heat combined with sweaty uniforms and buckets upon buckets of cold water bring an all-too-familiar feeling to the football program. Football standout Tony Montes, a senior, said, "Excited ... we have high expectations, and I feel confident we can meet them."

The volleyball program has a bright season ahead of them. Angela Breining, a senior, spoke for the team when she said, "This is the best team we've had in a while." Lisa Saefong, also a senior, agreed, adding: "We work as a team, we are family, we put our hearts in the game and we will have a good year."

The trophy-laden, talented, hard-working girls tennis team is at it again this season. The team and coach are notorious for accepting nothing less than a section title. Losing talent to graduation is not a problem. This year's team has new recruits and more veterans who ultimately will give their all this season to make it better than the last.

The blazing summer afternoons aren't deterrents to the tennis players, but just another obstacle they modestly overcome for at least several hours daily. Last year, they went undefeated in league, captured a section title and earned a berth to NorCals, the equivalent of a California Interscholastic Federation state competition.

With the addition of new courts to their new season, team members like senior Fermina Chavez hope to do "better than the year before, so if we want to repeat the great success we had last year, we still have a long way to go."

The class of 2011 is next in line. Responsibilities go along with your last year of high school. Mercedez Dueñas, a senior, said, "It will be stressful while trying to apply for colleges." Amidst this process that many seniors go through, most will undoubtedly make it a memorable year.

As students settle in, some for the last time, their outlook of this new start at LOHS is promising.

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