The end of the semester has fallen on us and I think now is a good time to reflect on this first semester. There have been many good things that have happened this semester, but there have also been some less-than-ideal things too.

One of my biggest complaints this year was the lunch lines. I think that as the semester went on they got better, but at the beginning of the year the lunch lines were definitely a struggle.

There were times when I only had ten minutes to eat lunch because the lines were so long. I do not want this to come across as me bashing the amazing lunch ladies we have here at GEHS. I know that everyone is doing the best they can but the lunch lines, including the fast lane, have been super long and have been really slow.

I can’t talk about this semester without mentioning the phone policy.

The phone policy definitely took some getting used to, and don’t get me wrong I miss my phone, but I think that it has become a new normal. I miss being able to be on my phone more than passing periods and lunch, but I think that though it is difficult it has done some good.

The shorter passing period has also been a major change this semester.

I have many classes that are pretty far away from each other. It is always a pretty long walk and the shorter passing period makes it more stressful to get to places on time. I have gotten a lot more passes from teachers this year than I have any other year because of the shorter passing period.

That brings me to another issue that shows up every year: the hallways. The hallways are always very busy and making your way to class is a challenge every time. There are students who will stop walking or walk on the wrong side. This used to be just an annoyance, but now that there is a shorter passing period the annoyance has become a problem.

The first semester has gone well but there have also been some aspects of it that were less than ideal.

There were definitely some problems that arose this year, but there were also some highlights as well.

Firstly, in my opinion, one of the best things about this year was going to state for the third time in a row and winning as back-to-back champions against the school we lost to the first time we went to state. That whole game was very enjoyable and exciting to watch, and the atmosphere was awesome.

Another nice thing about this past semester is the lack of combo days. Students and teachers have disliked combo days for a long time because they make each class so short, which makes it hard to get much done, and the district listened and got rid of most of them. We only had two combo days throughout the whole semester, which is really nice.

One other positive aspect of this year was the lack of fights compared to before. Unlike in previous school years, I feel like I have not seen or heard of any very big physical altercations throughout the semester. While I do not know if this is because of the shorter passing periods or because of the new phone policy making people too invested in their phones during passing period to fight, I do know that it is a step in the right direction.

I enjoyed the musical this year as well. I thought it was fun that they did a Christmas theme since they have not done that in a long time to my knowledge. The sets were amazing as well and the cast did a great job making it fun and interesting.

The finals schedule this year is really good as well. I am glad they got rid of the long seminar and lunch in general. While I would not mind eating lunch at school, I would much rather go home early than have to stay just to eat. I know it has been a bit frustrating that the finals schedule has been changing so often, but I think that this year they created a very nice one that seems to be working well. Hopefully, it continues to do so and becomes our permanent finals schedule.

This year had its ups and downs, but overall it changed many things from previous years for the better while keeping what worked.

“My favorite part, I am fortunate enough to teach mostly seniors, so getting to know all my new students, especially being new to the building. Something I’d like to change next semester would be kind of, you know, kind of getting out there and being part of their events and activities, and those kind of things.” -Tyler Lemke

“I think that one thing that I have really loved this semester is the amount of growth I’ve seen in my students. Like, the students who do everything that I ask and really try, have gotten exponentially better than students in the past. So that’s been super exciting. For next semester, I want to read more books, because I’m gonna miss my 100-book goal for the year, and I’m disappointed. I’m probably gonna only hit 85 and so. I try for 100 every year, and I think I’m only gonna hit 85. Think of those 15 books and the joy that they would have brought me.” -Shannon Carriger

“My favorite part of the semester was having all of my students in my Exploring Teaching class get super into their Educators Rising projects and taking those to competition. Something I would like to change for next semester. I want to incorporate one more interactive activity into my Family Studies class, particularly in our unit over positively guiding children.” -Kaylee Perez

“My favorite thing was football games, cheering at them, and then I would bring back seven-minute passing periods.” -Kaylee Kelley, Junior

“One thing I liked this semester was probably cheering games, and then I would bring back the seven-minute passing periods.” -Fatou Jawara, Junior

“My favorite thing this semester was probably homecoming week because it was so fun. My least favorite thing this semester was Algebra II.” -Rhena Mungania, Junior

“I think so far, my favorite is probably that the football team brought home a state championship. It’s pretty awesome. There’s not much I could think of to change off the top of my head, maybe just little things in my classroom. Just trying to help students be more successful.” -Clay Kear

“My favorite thing this semester has been getting to know more teachers, especially our first-year teachers. In the past, I’ve always been around other, either veterans or I’ve been the new teacher but this year, I have the luxury of being across the hall from a first-year teacher, Ms. Gladbach, and through her, I’ve gotten to know a lot of the other first-year teachers, and they’re incredible. If you haven’t gone and said hi to some of our first-year staff members, they’re not just trying to tread water. They’re thriving, and they’re doing incredible, and they’re great, amazing human beings who make this place better. I would say my favorite thing has been getting to know more staff members and watching them connect with kids. If I could change one thing, it would be how we highlight students. We have started something new for seniors this year, it’s called Blazer of Character. But I think there is more of an opportunity than we think for highlighting all of the good things that are happening. So many good things happen, not just sports, not just clubs, not just activities, but behind the scenes in classrooms with real people. Whether it be helping someone replace a tire out in the parking lot, or trying to help mentor a younger student in the theater program, there are little moments that add up, and I would love to see us highlight those more because it’s the humanness of this school that makes us us.” –Matthew Mayeske