Waking up on Tuesday morning, the air feels quite different. The feeling of summer withers as routines, old and new, re-enter the lives of the people at Coppell High School
Students are walking to the bus stop after two months, seniors have their last first day at CHS and teachers meet their students for the first time. Changes are everywhere, marking just the beginning.
As the year begins, issues such as late buses and crowded halls occur. However, CHS assistant principal Sorelle Kimball thinks it is just a matter of time and adapting to mitigate those situations.
“Compared to the first and second day, the late buses and the congestion in the halls wasn’t as much, because people started to figure out things like the side staircases they could take or learning their bus schedule,” Kimball said. “I feel like once you get to start ironing out those routines, it makes it easier to adjust to what’s happening around you.”
From being confused between B and C hall to being in the presence of upperclassmen, sophomores are learning to navigate the school as they shifted from the tight-knit Coppell High School Ninth Grade Center to the vaster CHS.
“I got used to having one grade around me, so when I saw three grades being in the school at the same time, it felt overwhelming,”sophomore Vibha Vedagiri said. “I felt a bit calmer by the end of the [second] day though, because I felt like I knew the school and its people a little better.”
Not only sophomores, but new teachers got their first experience at CHS as well.
After teaching seventh grade science at Coppell Middle School East, AP Biology teacher Sarah Grover also had her share of different experiences as it was her first time having a class with A and B days and teaching high school students.
“In middle school, it’s so fast and furious and you see everyone every day,” Grover said. “Not having the block schedule and actually having time to get to know my students, and hang out with them without the pressure of only having 40 minutes, has been super fun. I’m excited to build relationships with my kids and be able to have a great first year at CHS.”
Walking into the north entrance of the school and seeing the National Art Honor Society drawn chalk art representing the senior class, as well as the big poster hanging high in the main hall created by the CHS Student Council, commemorating the graduating class of the 2023-24, gives nostalgia for seniors as they begin their last year at CHS.
“When I saw the chalk writing saying ‘Class of 2024’ in front of the school, it really hit me that I’m actually a senior and not a freshman,” senior Saanvi Gourishetti said. “During these first two days, while I was sitting in my classes, it felt so weird thinking how this is my last year, and in one year, I’ll be in college.”
Going into the school and walking out, one thing stays the same: the smile of CHS Principal Laura Springer. Whether it is when she is near the library, welcoming students into the school, and helping control the bus loop after the last bell rings, Springer is always happy to just be there.
“During the first day of school, my favorite thing is seeing [students] coming in,” Springer said. “It’s great having the opportunity to have kids back in the building with the noise, laughter, tears, and whatever it might be. Getting to meet kids I haven’t seen during the summer and seeing teachers interact with their kids is just the greatest feeling ever.”
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