High school can seem scary and the transition from middle school to high school may seem like a big change, which can cause stress and anxiety for freshmen. For CHS freshman Della Bank, she found the perfect way to transition and learned how to adjust to the atmosphere.
Bank split enrolls at Skyline High School and for her, it’s been a great way to get two different perspectives on high school.
“I feel like a lot of people say that split enrolling is hard,” Bank said. “It’s cool to see the different ways schools organize their classes and schedules.”
Bank felt like the schedules at Community were better for her organization and quickly realized that the block scheduling at Community was a better fit for her, as opposed to the typical class schedule at SHS.
Bank thinks that the experience she’s getting at Community is very different from the experience she would be getting at other schools in the district.
“I feel like at big schools, people are a lot more cliquey and people already have friend groups from middle school, and it’s kind of hard to just join those friend groups,” Bank said. “But at Community, everyone comes from different schools, and it’s not just a majority of two or three middle schools.”
Bank felt the transition into high school was easy at CHS and makes it sound a lot less scary and complicated than it seems to be.
“I think, because Community is a smaller school, it has a different way of organizing things like classes and schedules,” Bank said. “Because Community is so small there’s so much leadership here which makes it a lot easier to transition, because you have the upperclassmen to kind of guide you through it.”
Bank has found that the teachers at CHS are super supportive, and her strong relationships with them has been a helpful factor with her transition into high school.
Going into something new without advice or guidance can be scary. At first, it was hard for Bank to adjust to high school, but she has now learned how the transition was easier for her.
“I think just meet as many people as you can in the first week, and kind of figure out who you want to be around.” Bank said. “Joining clubs is super nice because you probably have the same interests as the people in it because you’re in the same club.”
Bank also says forming strong relationships with your teachers early on is a great way to feel more comfortable in the classroom.
While meeting new people can also seem like one of the biggest challenges in a new place, at CHS, forum is a great way to meet new people from all grades.
Bank is in Janelle Johnson’s forum. “I love all the leadership that goes on in that forum because there’s all the seniors and juniors that are there and really help you acclimate, and all the sophomores are there to tell you what freshman year was like and how to adjust,” Bank said. “I have friends in forum that have helped me really branch out and meet new people, and I think forum is a great place for that to happen.”
Bank feels like it’s important to find something that you’ll carry with you throughout all of high school. For her, finding a method to study for finals early on and ask for help from her teachers is one of the biggest things that she has learned so far in high school.
“If you did horrible on an assignment, the teachers will probably let you do it again for more credit which can really help your grades,” Bank said. “I got my grades up at the beginning of the semester, and I’ve been trying to keep them up throughout the semester. Starting off strong is something that’s super important to me.”
Bank especially loves Michelle Yager, her Algebra 1 teacher, and Jessika Whiteside, her lit teacher. They have been teaching for so many years, and the classroom environment has been welcoming for Bank and her peers.
“Their classes are also both mainly freshmen, so it’s nice to be able to meet more people in my grade,” Bank said. “Michelle and Jessika also really know how to help students adjust to their class and give everyone all the information they need for the class which is super helpful, especially if you’re new.”
Bank says she’s changed a lot since the beginning of the year, such as opening her social skills and becoming more comfortable with new people.
“When I first came to Community, I had the mindset of ‘meet as many people as you can’ because I wanted to get to know everyone,” Bank said. “Because Community is so small and there’s only 120 to 130 people in each class, it does feel like you know everyone, and it feels like a family almost.”
Bank’s experience at Community has been a great way for her to branch out and meet new people. While it can be a hard transition, Bank has found her place at CHS. She has learned the way that CHS works from the help of her friends and teachers, making the transition feel less scary.
