What on earth just happened?!

That’s what I was asking myself after my Orientation back in August of 2018. I already thought that I was going to get lost and have no idea where I was or where I was going or what I was doing, and the Orientation Day tour made that about 10 times worse.

D pod is just a hallway? Where is the pool? 3rd floor WHAT??

And on top of all of the stress that I was feeling, my very first class ever at North Penn High School was with 14 seniors, 7 juniors, and just one other sophomore.

I didn’t know a person in the room.

Nevertheless, I survived that first day. Then a week. Then a month. And somehow, I have already made it through 3 of my 6 semesters at North Penn High School.

It’s bittersweet. I know that I still have a year and a half full of exciting events and tons of memories to be made, but I can’t help and think that before I know it, my 13 year North Penn career will be over.

So as this halfway point arrives, I’m thinking back on the past year and a half and how much life has changed since I first walked in those cafeteria doors.

The Knight Crier has been the biggest and most welcome change. That first day, when I finally managed to get to 3rd floor K pod, I barely knew what I was getting into. I never thought that before I knew it, my life would be full of school board meetings, after-school interviews, staff meetings, and hearing the booming voice of Mr. Manero at 7 A.M. every morning. The KC also has given me opportunities to get more involved in North Penn, like spending the day with Dr. Dietrich, talking to teachers I never would’ve otherwise met, experiencing the 2020 Mock Convention, and  staying up to date on all things North Penn by covering School Board meetings.

Joining The Knight Crier also lead to my journey with NPHS Theatre and Thespian Troupe #5464. As I laid out in my recent piece, an event that I went to cover exposed me to a group of people within our high school that I had never known before. I got hooked, worked behind the scenes for Mamma Mia and Once Upon A Time, and can’t wait to work on Shrek and my two senior year shows.

The past year and a half has also exposed me to some of the most amazing teachers that I have ever worked with. Now don’t get me wrong, I have extremely special places in my heart for all the teachers I came to know and love through my years at York Avenue and Penndale, but high school teachers are a different breed. They treat us like adults, and we can have real, substantive conversations with them about college, their high school experiences, and just life in general. 

Some of the fabulous teachers that I have gotten to work with at North Penn High School so far are Mrs. McLarnon, Mrs. Trego, Mrs. Behm, Mr. Schmitz, Dr. Hall, Madame Sapalidis, Mrs. Cassel, Mrs. Schmidt, Madame Fuga, Mr. Collier, Mr. Ruddell, Mrs. Roney, and of course, Mr. Manero.

Despite the slight bitterness of realizing that my high school career is half over, I know that there is still so much to come for me; Shrek, junior and senior proms, and the college selection and application process are just a few.

I have to find the right balance of recognizing that I am leaving, while also not dwelling on the past forgetting to take advantage of the 16 months that I have left.

To sophomores- I know you don’t want to hear it because you’ve been hammered with it since 7th grade, but it’s so true; you have to get involved and make the most of every single second that you have at North Penn!

Right now I’m sure that you are thinking you have over two years left and that you have tons of time, but you don’t. I feel like Orientation Day was just a couple of weeks ago, not 17 months!