Hi, I’m Kadence Darrah, and I recently moved from Mountain View to Nixa. Now let me tell you, switching schools after a move can be tough. Whether you are moving towns, states or even countries, the transition into a new school system can leave an overwhelming and lonely feeling behind. If you are a new addition to our Nixa High School family and are feeling a bit blue, worry no more, for I have some advice from a new student’s perspective that may be able to help you.
My first and most important piece of advice is to join activities. NHS offers many different clubs and classes that are open to everyone. I have found that joining these extracurriculars and attending meetings outside of class time is very beneficial and allows you to meet all kinds of new people as well as build social skills. I joined Wingspan and instantly fell in love with the class and the people in it. They have helped me feel comfortable in this new environment and have encouraged me to branch out and meet many new friends. Joining a club can also help you to build opportunities and find new hobbies that you may not have known about before. It is never too late to join an extracurricular activity and make lasting memories with new friends.
My second piece of advice to you is to wait a few days. This was a big one for me. I know that classes can be very overwhelming at first. Trust me, I almost dropped a few of them on my second day. But I found that if you tough it out and wait at least three days, then your brain will start adjusting to the routine, and school will become much easier. There are many classes offered that might be more challenging than you are used to, but don’t let that scare you. Make sure that you don’t immediately give up. Instead, wait a little while, you may find that the class is easier than you thought. Who knows, it might turn into something that you love. Overall, just try and make sure that you give yourself time to get into the groove of things around here. It could be a total life-saver.
My third and final piece of advice to you would be to ask questions. Trust me, you do not look unintelligent at all. On my first day of school, I had so many different questions. At first, I was nervous to ask, but as soon as I got over that fear, everything made so much more sense. If you are putting off asking, just keep in mind that there is no way that you can be expected to know everything about a new place. So make sure that if you are confused about something, that you ask someone — whether that person be a teacher, a counselor or another student. Just remember that it is OK to ask questions. After all, many other students have been in the same position and strive to be as welcoming as possible.
For all of you new students who are reading, I hope that my advice can help ease your transition into our wonderful NHS family. It can be overwhelming to be thrown into a new environment, but make sure to keep your head high and show everyone who you are.
