Northwood Newbies

By Taylor Maloch

New Kid.
We hear these two simple words around school all the time. Rumors fly around about what the “new kid” is like, where he or she is from and why they’re coming here. I have never been a new kid until this past year, when I unexpectedly had to change schools.
If you have ever been a new kid you know what its like; everything seems to be out of the ordinary. Most new kids are not happy from the beginning. They never wanted to move in the first place. Back home they had friends and family, people who cared about them. In this new place nobody cares; they just want to know the basics and move on to the next person.
I feel bad for the kids that have to move so far away from their home. I know that my old school is just 40 minutes down the road, but it feels like a lifetime away. I can’t imagine how kids from different states feel.
I know some new kids can be annoying, always starting their sentences with, “At my old school…” but hey, give them a break, it’s their first year. It’s hard going into another high school with fresh faces, new rules and expectations.
When I realized that I had to go to Northwood, I was not excited at all. Lucky me, I actually found out I was coming here the day before school started. I have lived in Apex my whole life, and I did not want to move schools. But when I came to Northwood, I was actually shocked. Most of the students and staff were really nice; people even realized that I was new on the first day. My old school has about 4,000 students, so it would take a while for everyone to figure you’re new, or find out that you left. Every new kid should feel welcome when they come into a new school, and Northwood did a pretty good job with that. Even though first semester is almost over, I’m still learning names and faces. My advice for someone coming into Northwood would be to not hold back, don’t be shy and have some fun. We only have a few years left before we’re out of here, so let’s make the most of it.