Principal Neal held class meetings the second week of school. The presentation was split into three separate parts, allowing Ms. Huffaker and Lieutenant Denham to discuss their designated sections.
After Principal Neal's introduction, he spoke about the rules and policies he has established for the school since becoming the new principal. One rule gives students a little less time to get to their next class, so everyone can be on time and ready to learn.
“I don't mind it, it doesn’t really affect me much because my classes aren’t that far apart,” Aidan Reagan said.
He also spoke about a new dress code to make sure everyone feels comfortable and safe.
“I just feel like people should be comfortable, but also appropriate,” senior Emalee Iracheta said.
Next, Ms. Huffaker talked about special classes called dual-credit and AP classes. These classes help students earn credit for both high school and college at the same time. That means students can get a head start on their future. For AP courses, you earn credit based on a final exam. Dual credit functions like a regular class where you need a D to receive credit.
“I like the challenge, it’s fun. I think it’ll help me in college because the work is pretty similar to how it is in college,” Jocelyn Acosta said.
Lieutenant Denham taught students what to do in an emergency, like how to use a tourniquet to help someone who is injured. He also discussed the importance of staying safe at school and looking out for one another. This helps everyone feel prepared and shows that the school cares about students’ safety.
Finally, towards the end of the presentation, a video was shown featuring a kid around the same age as the students who planned on open firing at his school. Although the video was intended to inform students that anyone in the same room as them could have similar dark thoughts, some students didn’t find the video necessary or important, while others found it frightening. The students who didn’t think the video was necessary or important didn’t take the video seriously or didn’t pay attention. The other students who found the video frightening took the video very seriously and got irritated with the people who thought the video wasn’t that important or didn’t take it seriously.