Upon entering St. Andrews church for the opening ceremony, CHS students and staff were immediately met with a warm welcome from our top jazz combo. As the buzzing of friends reuniting dulled, FoCo presidents, Morgan McClease and Izzie Jacobs, along with Vice President, Addi Hinesman, kicked off the day with some introductions from each department.
For many students, this new school year is an opportunity to take advantage of creating a schedule tailored to their interests. CHS junior, Finn Anderson, was able to fit both Painting and Color Theory as well as Health and Wellness into his schedule.
“I really have never had a good class,” Anderson said. “Particularly, the sex ed; I really haven’t. I just have a feeling that [Becky Brent is] going to be really good at teaching the subject. I’ve heard good things from other students.”
After a quick sneak peek at clubs for this year, FoCo representatives announced our theme for this quarter: A Focus on Forum. CHS will be implementing an additional Field Day in the fall to emphasize forum comradery early on.
After spending her sophomore year in Spain participating in an exchange program, Klava Alicea has returned to CHS. She is looking forward to reconnecting in forum, particularly through Fall Field Day.
“I’m really excited to be back at Community,” Alicea said. “I think it was one of the things I missed the most while I was away. I think the two field days are really going to make an impact. I remember field day, at the end of the year. I feel it really bonded my group and the fact that we’re doing it at the beginning of the year is gonna shape our forum.”
After the ceremony, students were split off into their forums to embark on the CHS scavenger hunt. The various stops around the building helped freshmen and other new students get acquainted with essential offices and staff members.
Robert Lavelanet, CHS social studies teacher, recently took over the Kilgore forum. Though he understands that inheriting a forum comes with challenges, Lavelanet also has goals for this year’s forum—100 percent attendance on forum day being one.
“The biggest risk for forum is opting out,” Lavelanet said. “And not showing up is obviously bad too. It’s risky to put yourself out there and risk judgment, but it is also the only way to get to know people. I’ve had forums in the past where students come in and [think] ‘I’m not talking to these people’. But everyone seems pretty okay [this year].”
After the morning session of the forum, the adjusted Friday schedule began and students got to experience a taste of their first semester schedules. The PTO provided lunch on the front lawn, giving students a chance to come together and reconnect or see new faces.
In true CHS fashion, the day began with forum and ended with an additional afternoon forum session, allowing everyone to get a jumpstart on having “a focus on forum”.
