As a senior in high school, I wish I would have known just a few things about high school my freshman self didn’t. A lot of kids might feel like high school is so hard and overwhelming, but I’m here to show how you can truly enjoy your years throughout high school. Although it’ll take dedication, time, and effort, these 10 steps will help allow incoming students to prosper into the individual they’ve always wanted to become.
As a freshman, the senior prom is something all students look forward to. Getting dressed up in glamorous gowns, beautiful heels, and lots of makeup is something that the girls cannot wait to do. The class of 2022 at Nutley High School finally got to enjoy their senior prom after many disappointments regarding COVID.
I remember my first day of freshman year like it was yesterday. Walking in the building for the first time was the most adult feeling ever. I felt like the stereotypical lost freshman that you see in the movies but I quickly adapted and realized that high school is not as bad as it seemed.
Four years within Nutley High School is the equivalent to 1,386 school days in total. As I get ready to graduate and continue my education at Montclair State University as an English major, I reflect back on my years at NHS. Although times were tough and many tears were shed, NHS has helped me grow in unimaginable ways.
Ramadan is something I hold close to my heart. It’s been something I’ve been celebrating my whole life, some sort of constant in this crazy world. However, I only feel trepidation for the conclusion. The idea of not having to go to the Masjid every night or to not fast every day feels strange to me. It has become the new norm in my life. Wake up, go to school, go to the Masjid.
On Wednesday, December 1st, Nutley High School hosted its annual Senior Fashion Show at the Valley Regency in Clifton. Each year, seniors get the opportunity to dress up either formally or casually or they can show off their talents by participating in the “skit” portion of the show. The Fashion Show is an event that helps the senior class fundraise for prom at the end of the year. All seniors are able to get involved and put on a show for their friends and families.
On Saturday, October 30, 2021, the NHS Marching Band will head up to Union High School for the New Jersey State Championship. This weekend, months of practice and performing will be put to the test as they face off against five other schools in a high stakes competition.
On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, the +COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person learning, and schools shut down indefinitely. Worldwide students were forced to learn from home and teachers forced to teach from home. Social gatherings were also prohibited. The NHS Class of 2020 unfortunately missed out on the annual end of year festivities, but the class of 2021 has experienced little to nothing of a senior year as well
Nutley High School’s annual College and Career Fair will be held on March 11, 2021. Due to Covid-19, certain restrictions have been implemented for students and representatives coming from different colleges and universities. To protect the safety of students and spokespeople, the fair will be conducted virtually. Students and parents, grades 10-12, will be given this opportunity to be informed directly by representatives coming from trade schools, military branches, and universities.
As COVID-19 devastatingly hit the United States in March of 2020, schools prepared for a new way to teach their students safely. Virtual learning at Nutley High School was immediately put into place and students have been learning from home ever since. When Nutley Public Schools reopened this September, all students were taught virtually and the schedules differed from last spring. NHS classes are separated into G and H days, that are followed three days consecutively.
Back to school looked a little different this year. Not only did the 2019-2020 school year get cut at the end due to COVID-19, many schools, including Nutley Public Schools, still weren’t ready to allow students to come back into the building for September. Nutley students are continuing with virtual schooling for the start of the school year in their homes. For many, if not most students, this has been a difficult transition, missing out on parts of school that they’ve looked forward to for a while.
Having my senior year come to a close has made me reflect on my high school career. The four years I spent in Nutley High School were the best four years of my life. I made friendships that will last a lifetime and made so many memories. If I could give a few pieces of advice to the underclassmen I would say to take advantage of every opportunity, don’t be afraid to be yourself, and don’t sweat the small stuff.
I vividly remember my first day at Nutley High School. The butterflies walking into the building and the uncertainty of upperclassmen made me scared to be a freshman. It was before block scheduling and when homeroom was still a thing. I’ll always have memories of my first day of high school, however, I really don’t recall my last. All that comes to mind is hearing the announcement that we won’t be going back for two weeks and me believing that would be the case.
Since early March, schools, universities, and colleges around the globe have shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. While many hope that quarantine will soon lift, students around the world hope to return back to their classrooms in the fall. Public schools await until the fall gets closer to make any permanent decisions regarding the next year, but colleges and universities might have a different plan.
The thought of no school for most students sounds amazing, but this closure has proven to be anything but. The Coronavirus pandemic has closed over 124,000 United States public and private schools and has affected over 55 million students. Many states have been ordered to close all schools in their states. This left most schools with only three to four months until the year finished. School districts across the country had to quickly plan how to continue the school year in a way that would keep students home due to how rapidly the pandemic was growing.
The students and staff of Nutley High School have not been in the building since Friday, March 13 due to the spread of Coronavirus across the country. They transitioned to virtual learning that began the following Monday, March 16. Staff had the option to come in that day for training on the Schoology Learning Management System.
The senior class of 2020 has been working hard for 12 years to have their one last chance to dance away at prom and get handed their diploma before moving on to the next chapter of their lives. Due to the coronavirus, NHS has been operating remotely. Students and staff continue learning and teaching through virtual learning. The senior class has been wondering what will happen to prom and graduation. Will it happen or will they have to find another solution?
The Night of Nations took place on Thursday, February, 2020 at 5:30 in the NHS cafeteria. Tickets were sold in advance for $8. However, on the day of the event, they were sold for $10. At the event, there were different types of food, music to help recognize diversity in Nutley community, and schools. This event was created to help the community understand traditions and beliefs, and find new things they may enjoy.
As a little girl, where my dance career would take me was always questionable. From dreaming of owning my own studio, to being on Broadway, my goals changed as I grew older and dreamed more realistically. However, performing on an international stage this winter in Poland and becoming a world champion never crossed my mind, at any age. An experience like that happens to one in a million, and I am beyond grateful I was chosen.
Mr. Bryan Abbio and Mrs. Jessica Coppola are the class advisors for the graduating class of 2020. Abbio and Coppola have been organizing and planning the activities since the class of 2020 entered as freshmen. Mr. Abbio is a history teacher at NHS and Mrs.Coppola teaches English. Mrs.Coppola says she feels, “being an advisor is a juggling act between doing right for the class and being an effective teacher.”
