School Begins!

by Hannah,  Hoboken High School sophomore


It’s that time of year again, the school year of 2015-2016 will officially begin tomorrow.

I want to welcome all the new families to Hoboken Junior Senior High School and say hello to students and parents that are now considering our high school.

The community of Redwings welcomes you all! 

If your child is scared or worried for their first day of school, whether it's returning to their old school or joining a new one, remind them that everyone makes mistakes on their first day and it’s alright to be scared. Just don’t let the fear hold them back.

On my first day of high school, I was so nervous I went to the wrong class. I was completely embarrassed, but when I got to the right class, a group of students came up to me and introduced me to everyone. That group of students are my circle of friends now.

Your child will make lots of friends and keep them for years to come. As I begin my journey of sophomore year, I won’t be nervous, I’ll be excited and I hope your children are as excited as I am!

As a student, we’ll be participating in after-school activities as well as trying keeping our grades up. We’ll need as much support from our parents as possible. Beginnings are usually the hardest for new students so make sure they’re doing okay with the new transition. School is a place where you learn a lot about yourself and they should have a lot of fun doing it.

For the families that are starting to consider high school, congratulations! I hope you all get into the schools you choose and also hope that Hoboken High is on your list of schools. Believe me, I wasn’t too excited to put it on mine, but as it came time to make a final decision, I knew it was the right place for me. I took tours, went to events held by the school and got more and more excited to join the Redwing community.

 I’d like you to do the same. 

Come be a Redwing for a day and feel how it is to be a student here. You may even request me as your tour guide! Come watch our winning sports teams and engulf yourself in our amazing drama and musical arts performances. I’d love to see you all there and finally squash the rumors of our school.

GA NOTE: Thank you, Hannah! We look forward to hearing more from you about the goings on inside that red and grey schoolhouse! 

Folks needless to say, be mindful Hannah is 15 years old and please be respectful in your comments.

Comments

  1. You are an articulate young lady. I wish you the best of luck in school this year!

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  2. We hear so much about the schools from people who never set foot in them. Hannah is a breath of fresh air whose real life experience is the story we need to hear, good, bad or indifferent.

    I really hope she will consider making this a series, perhaps returning once a season or at key moments in both the academic and American year.

    I understand if she's too busy for that, but just a thought. Either way, thank you, Hannah for sharing your thoughts with us bloggers as well as parents generally. Don't be a stranger, whatever you do. ~DC

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  3. Thanks Hannah for offering a different perspective. I can't imagine attending a school in your own community where the young students feel like they have to defend themselves against rumors. Thank you speaking out about your experience. Have a great year and I hope you submit some updates.

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  4. It's great to hear a young person speak with pride about her school, in rebuttal to politically motivated smears. That's what they are. Some politicians use Hoboken schools as a proxy in their war against Mayor Zimmer & think that trashing schools wins them victory at the polls. No... it hurts kids. It discourages families. HHS will truly be a community school when embraced by the community. Thankfully more residents are sending kids to HHS, including Mayor Zimmer whose son starts there tomorrow...

    Thanks young lady for doing your part. I hope to hear more from you. Good luck tomorrow.

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  5. As Hannah's mom, thank you for all of the supportive comments and to GA for asking H to guest write. It's hard to impress a teenager but tonight, she is blown away.
    I'm so grateful for having a rock solid school in our backyard where I know I can "get" to my daughter (yes, still and always will be shell-shocked from 9/11) and where everyone in the neighborhood knows her and keeps an eye out for her. High school is tough. Having her close to home is reassuring. Getting to know her friends and her friend's families is comforting. If she went to school anywhere else, including the private schools that she was accepted into, I wouldn't have the same sense of ease. I would be worried about her riding a train, taking a bus, walking multiple blocks in a city that could easily swallow her up. What's so scary/bad about Hoboken High School? Maybe having to spend energy defending it...but that's about it.
    Wishing Hannah, all of her classmates and teachers another successful school year!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sarah! I think your daughter is terrific, you must be very proud.

      Yep, I know first-hand the quality of the teachers and educational opportunites right here at HHS/JSHS- my daughter is in John Hopkins G&T and was offered to participate in the Harvard Model Congress this year. For motivated kids, the sky's the limit. HHS sponsors advanced kids to take classses at Stevens U...

      We are very lucky to have this resource in our backyard, literally.

      Messengers like your wonderful daughter are helping to break through the disinformation campaign waged by those who want their greedy fingers back on the levers of power at the BoE. Yes, I am wishing all of Hoboken's students: public, charter and private a succesful school year. Hannah is welcome to share her school experiences with us here on this blog whenever she likes, and I look forward to meeting you, and Hannah.

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  6. Would like to see the town rally around HHS. Better PR would certainly help year round not just around election time.

    There has to be a better way.

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  7. What a beautiful morning! Good luck to Hannah and all of the kids on their first day of school.

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  8. Thank you Hannah. Nice to hear first hand info from a student. I hope you come back to tell us more.

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