Coming back to school this fall, Southeast has gained six new high school students. There is one new Freshman, two new Sophomores, two new Juniors, and one new Senior. Nobody ever thinks about what it would be like to switch schools until they have to move and leave what they know. Students who move schools have to say goodbye to their friends, teachers, and sometimes even family members. It can be hard for kids who move schools to make new friends and fit into their new school because they have to adapt to so much “new.”

We asked most of the new students how SES was different compared to their previous school, and every single one of them said that our school is a lot smaller than their previous school. 

Daniel Sellers, a new sophomore, stated, ”My whole grade last year was the size of our high school.” Daniel came from Benton, Louisiana, and went to Benton High School. He is planning on playing football and baseball. “Athletics here are good, and I like the football team,” said Daniel. 

Lily Duran is a new freshman at Southeast this year. She came from Powell Middle School in Littleton, Colorado. Similar to nearly every new student, Lily agreed that our school is way smaller than her last. “My last school had about 300 students per class,” Lily said. This school year Lily is planning to be involved at SES by joining sports teams once she gets settled in. She is also thinking about joining sports teams outside of our school. So far, Lily said her first month of school has been good. “It’s not as challenging because there are not as many people. It also takes time to learn everyone’s name.”

Another new Sophomore at our school is Kendall Minneman. Kendall is involved in FBLA, FFA, track, football, and wrestling. We asked Kendall who his favorite teacher is, and he said that it is Mr. Goodell because he is easy to talk to and is a cool person in general. Minneman also mentioned that the environment at SES is a lot different from his old school. He said that it is a lot smaller and there isn’t as much drama here. 

Southeast welcomed two new Juniors this year, Treytan Olson and Carson Stansberry. Treytan will be participating in football, basketball, and baseball. Carson is managing football this year and planning on playing basketball. They both stated that our school is a smaller environment and that everyone at SES is very nice to them.  

This year we only have one new senior: Annika Potter. Annika came from Middleton, Idaho. So far the classes that Annika has enjoyed the most are Media Tech and Choir. Annika is currently student-aiding for Mrs. Riffel. “Student aiding is interesting,” Annika said. She agrees with all of the other new students that our school is a lot smaller and everyone here is nice.

Overall, here at Southeast, we always try to make our new students feel welcome. When we asked if they liked our school, all the new students reported that everybody here is so nice and welcoming. Adjusting to a new lifestyle can be hard, but we are glad to hear that it hasn’t been too challenging for these new students.