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The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media

The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media

The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media

Business Spectacle: Lilys Hair Studio (video)
Business Spectacle: Lily's Hair Studio (video)
October 26, 2023

New place, new state; Moving to Texas providing new, exciting adventure

New+place%2C+new+state%3B+Moving+to+Texas+providing+new%2C+exciting+adventure

By Wren Lee
Staff Writer

Your nerves are on fire. Your mind is split between worrying about the first day and yearning to return back to the apartment to hide. You cling to your backpack, your only lifeline to home.

You soldier on, though, because you know you should, not that you particularly want to. You wouldFullSizeRender rather be huddled in a ball in a corner.

Has that ever happened to you? The anxiety, the feeling that you will not fit in. That’s how Aug. 26 was for me.

New state. New town. New school.

I had stayed in Texas with my family before, but it was a whole new experience to be moving here. I only knew the warm embrace of the Florida sun and the hot sand running through my toes. The heat, humidity and sunshine were my companions.

Interestingly enough, the academic programs were similar. While Coppell Independent School District places students in endorsements, and Florida does not, the classes I was able to enroll in were similar.

My old school, Dr. Phillips High School, had two magnet programs: Visual Performing Arts and Center for International Students; I was in the latter, but I yearned to help with backstage productions and become a journalist.

When my CHS counselor Stacey McNeely went through the choices for my electives, I perked up when she said I could do “Technical Theater I” for my fine arts credit. My smile could only widen when I heard about Coppell’s newspaper, The Sidekick. Both CHS and Dr. Phillips had theater and journalism classes I could take.

I was elated. I could pursue the two activities that I yearned to join. I had opportunities laid out in front of me. I just had to pick one.

Florida is not the most technologically progressive state. Teachers occasionally allow cell phones, but some ban them completely. That usually means, no recording of lectures, no note-taking, nothing.

When I returned to Florida over the Labor Day weekend, my friends bemoaned their over-usage of binders and the waste of written notes. One friend remarked that a nearby high school in the Orange County district was initiating the move to iPads. Texas, on the other hand, freely uses technology.

Getting used to Apple technology was a difficult process. I had an iPod Touch from way back when, but I had sold it back in 2014 and had not used an Apple product except my mom’s iPhone 5 since. It was learning how to ride a bike again; the memories were there, but they were hidden behind fluff.

Admittedly, my iPad helps me more than hurts me. It is easier to make flashcards and take notes knowing that a few trees are being saved, for books of course. I can access my textbooks online and save my back from breaking.

Going through the halls in Coppell is a mess. I am constantly being jabbed by an elbow or shoved forwards by an anxious student. I tell myself that my annual summer stays in lively Hong Kong and the occasional trip to the bustling metropolis of New York City, prepared me for the life of a high school student.

This is comparable to Dr. Phillips with its halls bursting with rowdy teens who want nothing to do with school and class. They do not shove and push there, though, because the 3,000 kids are spread out over a sprawling two campuses. When the halls are empty, you can most likely set up a camping tent in the middle of the hall and still have room for your grill.

This means that kids are scrambling from one campus to the next, and it is not like the walk is as short as the one from C hall to H hall. It takes almost the entire passing period to cross the open-air walkways, and that time is limited to 6 minutes.

The academic competition was evident only a few weeks in. The students strived to be in the top 10 percent. They want to be in National Honors Society. They want to be the valedictorian.

Dr. Phillips has a different atmosphere. It is more laid back. The kids there know that Dr. Phillips is just a place to waste your time. They know it, and they flaunt it.

Coppell is not like Dr. Phillips. They have their differences and similarities. This is new experience. It is definitely a challenge, but I am willing to accept.

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