As the first bell approaches 8:50 a.m., Coppell High School and CHS9 cheerleaders line up along the doors of CHS9, spreading school spirit to students entering their first day of their first year of high school.
“The cheerleaders were at the doors, yelling and cheering, and the students came in looking around wide-eyed,” Principal Dr. Greg Axelson said. “I will remember that moment for a long time.”
A multitude of faces walked through those doors on Wednesday, some plastered with excitement, some plastered with nervousness as they embarked on a first day in a new school.
“The atmosphere was exciting at the beginning of the day,” Dr. Axelson said. “With some of [the students] you could tell they wish they maybe got to sleep in for one more day, but a lot of them were finding their friends and excited about being in ninth grade.”
Not only was it the first day of school for the students, but also the first day for Dr. Axelson as the CHS9 principal. After serving as the principal of Coppell Middle School North for seven years, Dr. Axelson is eager to serve in his new role at CHS9 and meet some of his returning and new students.
“I feel lucky this year that about one-third of the students I know are coming from CMSN,” Axelson said. “So for 300 students, I was their principal for the last three years, so I recognize a lot of faces, so it’s nice to see those students but it was also very nice to get to know the students coming from CMSE and CMSW.”
From reconditioning the campus, creating an effective schedule for everyone, organizing student transportation and strengthening campus leadership, the CHS9 staff worked diligently over the summer to ensure that the students make a comfortable transition from middle school to CHS9.
“We have put a lot of time and effort in this summer, so it’s been really exciting and honestly, we prepared so long that we also get really anxious for the students to come back,” Dr. Axelson said. “You can only prepare for so long and then you want the first day to finally happen.”
For CHS9 student Tanvi Ravella, being in a new campus seemed daunting at first, but she started to feel at ease as the day went on.
“At first, I felt overwhelmed, but I got used to it,” Ravella said. “As soon as I walked in, I saw a lot of friendly faces of teachers and I felt like I was in a safe environment to learn in.”
Ravella faced new opportunities that she was enthusiastic to tackle as she navigated the new hallways, made new friends and started new classes with harder workloads.
“I am excited to become closer to my teachers and make new friends,” Ravella said. “I want to join clubs like DECA, so I can further pursue my interest in business and also explore what I might want to do in the future.”
English I teacher Erin Begle was excited to return back to campus to teach a new group of students and experience new personalities through different first day of school activities.
“It’s always interesting to see kids come into the new space and fill the seats that students from last year sat in,” Begle said. “I like to see how kids react when they play those games to see who’s going to want to share ideas or to see who is competitive.”
In order to make new students feel more reassured about being a freshman, Begle gives her new students advice provided by her prior students to make sure they feel comfortable as soon as they walk into her class.
“The first thing that I do is make sure students don’t have any burning questions as soon as they come into the room,” Begle said. “Some of that coming from a pedagogical standpoint is making sure they know where they’re going to belong in the room, so I have assigned seats on the first day, so they know, ‘Oh, I am supposed to be here and this is where I belong,’ and that helps with easing in.”
Dr. Axelson hopes CHS9 will be able to emulate students’ experiences from their previous middle school campuses, and provide new opportunities for students to flourish as they advance through high school.
“Our three middle schools are so exceptional at the academic, fine arts and athletic side, and at giving the students a great middle school experience,” Dr. Axelson said. “We are hoping that we can replicate the same here at CHS9, and create a great school environment for them as they get ready to go to the big high school.”
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