With the first quarter having ended on October 13th, students have finished the first half of Semester 1. Quarter one consisted of various student events and activities, such as football games, the homecoming dance, and Hispanic Heritage week. It was a quarter that flew by and gave students a chance at adjusting to the 2023-24 school year along with its new policies.
During quarter one, there were a total of eleven football games. Each of these had their own theme, from the Aloha-Hawaii themed game on August 18th to the more recent pink-out themed game on October 13th. Quarter one also presented other sports, including boys and girls bowling, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls golf, and boys and girls swimming. The student section enjoyed these numerous games – with lots of wins – and practices.
Homecoming week was memorable for students this year, as its full week consisted of dressing up to match certain themes. Themes such as “Bokey Behind the Scenes”, in which students wore their best comfy attire, or “Season Finale”, where students wore their best Seminole High School spirit outfits, gave students something fun to do while still going to school and learning.
When it comes to school spirit, the students of Seminole are very involved and eager to participate. Pep rallies and other school events have displayed this as students show their energy, and great amounts of support for SHS’s sports.
Quarter one was the beginning of teaching for new teachers, while it was just a continuation of the usual for others. Algebra 2 and Data and Financial Literacy teacher Tracy Brunkow speaks about how quarter one went for her: “Hectic. We didn’t receive our algebra 2 textbooks, and classes didn’t get leveled until the 5th week of school. Classes were being leveled up until the 8th week of school. It was better once this process was finished because classes were smaller, which allowed me to connect better with my students.”
For juniors, this school year is significant to their choices in colleges and the quality of their grades. Junior year is the year that consists of touring college campuses, keeping up with grades, and preparing for what’s to come after high school. Junior Branden Rodriguez shares his experience of the first quarter: “It was a pretty chill quarter. It was a lot of work, but it wasn’t too much. I really only struggled with English, but nothing else was particularly hard for me. It took me a lot of time to get used to Minga, and I still don’t really like it. So far, it hasn’t shown much reliability. I think teachers are still getting adjusted, too. I’m really looking forward to winter; I love this cool weather. Overall, it was a smooth beginning to the school year.”
It’s safe to say that it was a simple start to the 2023-24 school year. With Minga continuing its appearance and students getting used to their classroom environments, the first quarter was a great beginning for the students of SHS, and they are looking forward to how the rest of the school year will go.