Last fall, I switched from a private school to James Monroe High School. Now, going from a high school of about 100 people to one of about 800 kids can be overwhelming, to say the least. The beginning of school was both exciting and chaotic as scheduling issues were worked out, new teachers were
This year, I was ready for the chaos and excitement that I became accustomed to from last year. However, this year, James Monroe was a mixture of all of these emotions multiplied by 1,000.
We in the city of Fredericksburg are proud and excited for our new JM. It has been more than 50 years that we have had to live, learn and grow in the old JM. Granted, there are many memories there, but it was time for a change. The construction of our new school was about as big a change as any.
I had been in the new school several times this summer as I helped lead tours for the new freshmen and get my own bearings as to where my classes would be held. For some, the first day of school was the first day they had ever been in what seems to us like the Taj Mahal.
Huge windows, even more gigantic hallways (kids no longer have the excuse that they were late to class because of congestion in the hallways), a three-court gym and 1,000-seat auditorium are a miracle to the students at JM. Students were awestruck as they saw the Bose speakers in the rooms, the 80 cameras around the school, projectors in each classroom and five (gasp!) staircases that could be used to go both upstairs and downstairs. I was amazed with the enormous desks and oh-so-comfortable chairs.
With the amazing transformations came a new sense of happiness about the school. During the summer, I saw the teachers flitting around talking to everyone in sight with a grin from ear to ear. Don't get me wrong: The teachers are always nice and approachable, but it seemed as if there was just this lightness in the air that made everyone so carefree and excited. I mean, who wouldn't be elated if they just moved in to a multi-million-dollar complex?
The entire school experience held new additions around each corner. This is a year for every student to start off with a clean slate. It is a new beginning for the freshmen and a place to create fresh traditions and memories. Along with a plethora of new teachers, the building holds more opportunities for different classes, such as cosmetology and more business classes.
With the new school came several small "problems":
I was lost just walking around. Compared with last year, when there was one hallway, there are now different wings (or as the staff calls them, "towers") that are all identical and house each of the different scholastic subjects. Kids walked into the wrong hallway (and classroom) time after time when they just couldn't find algebra with this teacher or English with another.
Lockers are situated by grade in little "bays" on each side of the school. For some, opening these lockers is a skill that must be acquired. I know for me, lock-challenged as I am, it takes several times before I remember to turn it, say, 8 to the left, 29 to the right and then 2 the other way.
Finally, the issue of scheduling came up. Try as they do to make every schedule work, the guidance counselors and administration just can't always make the master schedule perfect. It is understandable, especially this year, as they were moving between offices at different schools and sitting in the new JM with hard hats on and no occupancy permit. Anyway, people were constantly camping out at the guidance office in hopes of switching one class for the other or dropping this class and adding that.
The trials and tribulations of JM are near completion as students and staff alike are situating into what will become their normal routine. As with many of the relatively new high schools, the students love and cherish the new accoutrements that come along with having a state-of-the-art school. We are prepared for whatever obstacles are thrown our way and are ready to prosper with all that we have.