This year, August 1st, 2024 marked the first day back to school for Armuchee students and staff. This day sets the tone for the rest of the school year. We are welcoming in new students, teachers, and staff. This also means getting to see friends, getting to participate in all the fun activities, and being in brand new classes.
While many of the sophomores, juniors and seniors have gotten used to the classes that are offered at AHS, class of 2028 is getting to experience new subjects, such as AP classes and Spanish, which isn’t offered in middle school. Cara Mullins, freshmen, said, “Entrepreneurship is my favorite class because it’s fun, and I’ve never had to do anything like that for school before.” Many of the teachers are also a contribution to students’ favorite classes. Evey Flagello, freshmen, said, “Biology because I like Mrs. Timberlake and the way she teaches.” She said her favorite activity from biology so far is the photosynthesis leaf lab. Students also seem to enjoy the classes this year because they get to do things that interest them. Conner Wilson, freshmen, said, “Band is really fun and I’ve been doing it for a while and I like music.” Not everyone’s favorite class has to do with learning, though. Bayleigh Fortenberry, freshmen, said, “I like lunch because it’s the only time I really get to socialize and not focus on schoolwork.” Some students’ favorite classes are classes that they’ve already experienced and are used to. Kallie Goetz, freshmen, said, “I like weights. I like how we get done 20 minutes early and I get time to relax or work on homework or talk to my classmates.” Her favorite thing to do in weights is back squats. Although Kallie has had weights before high school, it’s always fun to experience these classes as an upperclassmen. She feels more experienced and has gotten used to the exercises they do in weights.
It’s not just the freshmen who are experiencing new classes in a different school this year, but also the middle school students. These students are experiencing brand new teachers and environment due to their relocation to the high school. Kenley Goetz, 7th grader, said, “P.E. lets me move around and play games like volleyball or dodgeball.” It’s nice to have a break during the school day to relax and do what you love. Eli Burdick, 7th grader, said, “Ms. Boaz makes math easy, and it’s something that I’m good at.” Learning in a new environment can be challenging for some students. The middle schoolers are learning middle school subjects while in the presence of high school students, teachers and administration. Eva Holsomback, 8th grader, said,”It’s different because I feel like I’m being held to higher expectations. It’s a different environment. In the middle school building, I felt like my grades were good, but being in the high school, I feel like I need to try harder. ”
Class of 2025, the seniors, have some advantages this year. Since most of them have already taken their classes they need, they experience the more interesting classes in their last year at Armuchee. Peyton Falk, senior, said, “I like forensic science because I’ve never learned anything like this before in a class and it’s pretty interesting.” Some seniors’ favorite classes aren’t classes at all; some seniors do internships during the school day. Lilith Dew, Senior, said, “I like that I have my internship for the last two periods of the day so I can just work on anything I need to get done for it and maybe other classes and I don’t have to worry about going to class after.”
Experiencing new classes can be fun or boring, depending on what interests students. It always makes the school day more enjoyable when they’re in classes they love.
