Dear Jaguars,
This year has been wild. My time here in the newspaper has been nothing but fun and exciting. I’m grateful I took this course because it genuinely taught me so much, and not just academically. I’ve never taken a newspaper class before, but I wanted to give it a shot before I graduated.
I never enjoyed writing, it’s just never been my thing. It took me a little while to get used to the article format and the amount we had to write, but in the end, it was enjoyable for me because I got to write about topics I enjoyed writing about. We have a variety of topics to pick from ranging from sports to political events. I love writing about the sports here at Coral Glades, so I got good at retrieving information from the coaches and players. This would be a good way to start getting to know all the sports we have here at school if you wanted to get involved in things like that as a freshman.
If you are an incoming freshman, I advise you to trust only a few. Find your friends and choose wisely. Do NOT surround yourself with people you think might cause you trouble. From personal experience, you will NOT have the same friends throughout high school. Every single senior will tell you that. Friends will come and go. It’s very important to stay focused but also live a little. Academics should always come first no matter what, you don’t realize how important grades and tests are until you try and apply for college. Trust me when I say every little thing matters, take everything seriously. It’s even better if you start strong as a freshman. Take those AP classes, take those AICE classes, and join that club. Everything will lead back to that college application and make you look like a superstar. As my last and strongest piece of advice, make sure you take care of your mental health. High school is stressful, don’t let anyone tell you differently. If you don’t find it stressful then you are not pushing yourself hard enough, you’re not pushing your brain hard enough. Mental health is so important, especially as a student, so make sure you are taking care of yourself.
Glades has so much to offer in so many aspects. We have culinary, arts, ceramics, band, weight training, chorus, and so much more. As for sports, we have swimming, softball, baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, track, tennis, volleyball, basketball, flag football, golf and more.
Our school does offer the AICE program which is very beneficial in the end. You HAVE to start it as a freshman and you need to take 7 AICE classes in 3 years. There is no specific way to do it as long as you have those 7 classes. In the end, you get your associate’s degree at graduation. YOU GET YOUR ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE IN HIGH SCHOOL. I would 100% recommend doing this if you have the time and mental strength. It is very possible to be a student-athlete taking these courses. They can be tough sometimes but it is very possible.
Glades is huge with 2,817 students enrolled. We have over 50 clubs and more to come. One big thing Glades is waiting for right now is an auditorium. It’s going to be built right next to the gym in the big grass field in front of the teacher parking lot. The senior class is sad we won’t be able to stay for the grand opening, but happy that it’s finally being built up for the next generation here at Glades.
Even though I hope to never see this school again, it was an amazing experience and a great four years of my life. Principal Dr. Kaplan is awesome and so is his amazing staff. I’m going to miss some things about this place, but I can’t wait to start my next chapter. So this is my final goodbye to Coral Glades High School, and I want to wish my juniors, sophomores, and freshmen, the best of luck.
Sincerely, Alyssa Densmore (aka taser girl)
