Mom is making breakfast, dad ties your shoes, they go through a checklist, straighten your collar. It must be the first day of school. In my seventeen  years of life, I’ve had many first days of school. I was never really afraid to go back to school except for the first day at a brand new school. I’ve transferred schools three times now and the last one was by far the best. Here is the story of my third first day at a new school.
East wasn’t working out for me. Unfortunately, it took us two years to realize that. I had tried and tried again to make it at a big school, but it just wasn’t for me. I had come to Duluth from a small town called Ely. I had gone to Ely Memorial High School while I lived there. It was a school of 400 kids in grades 7-12. I knew everyone in my grade. It was quite a community.
When my dad told me we were moving, he also told me I needed to pick a school. East was my clear first choice. I had heard bad things about Denfeld and Harbor City and I wasn’t about to pay extreme amounts of money to go to Marshall. Dad enrolled me at East and for a while, I did fine. Soon, I got lost in the crowd. It was hard to keep up. Teachers didn’t pay attention to you, there was so much pressure to participate in extracurriculars. It was harsh. I spent two years trying to keep my head above water. The day I got my first ‘F’ was the day my dad asked me to think on transferring. He had already gone to work and had a talk with my mother about moving me to Harbor City because I came from a small school and it’s a good school. My dad looked into their academic success rate and standardized test scores. He reminded me that a lot of my friends who came out of Harbor City or who currently attend Harbor City are very smart.
I immeadiately rejected the thought of going to Harbor City. It had such a bad reputation. I didn’t think it would be right for me. But, after much thought, I said I’d take a tour or visit. My parents thought I was doing the right thing. I set up a meeting with Mrs. Neubarth and she was delightful. Within our meeting, all of my previous thoughts about the school deteriorated. I was happy just being in the building. Knowing that the teachers really care about their students’ grades and well being was amazing to me. I wanted to enroll on the spot, so I did!
I counted down the days until I got to start. It was so exciting to have a fresh start in a school that is perfect for me. I walked in in the first day to a flurry of students trying to get their schedules. Everyone was so nice to me. I got help finding my classes and tried not to get in anyone’s way. I am, however, a little shy so that was difficult to deal with but I made friends regardless. I was welcomed with open arms by so many people, I got really lucky. The school has such a great community and a great vibe. I can’t believe such bad things are said about it.
Even though I was scared out of my wits, I found friends and fit in that first day. I’ve been so fortunate to be able to spend my last year and a half at Harbor City. I plan to make the most of it.