Post by momto4 on Aug 23, 2011 10:00:21 GMT -5
beaconnews.suntimes.com/7220379-417/metea-valley-welcomes-first-senior-class.html
Metea Valley welcomes first senior class
The first day of school is historically a starting point for students and administrators, but at Metea Valley High School, Monday was also a culmination.
In a packed gymnasium of almost 2,500 students, Principal Jim Schmid, for the first time, welcomed a senior class, along with freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
“We are extremely excited to see the previous three years of planning and implementation come to fruition with our first graduating class of 2012,” Schmid said. “As a class, they have provided excellent leadership and direction for the many systems, celebrations and opportunities that are now in place.”
Assistant Principal Joy Ross shares the sentiment.
“It is so fulfilling to be at year three and have a full complement of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors,” Ross said. “You think back to the early stages — all the plans on paper and all the things that were concepts. Now you are able to share all these things with actual kids, see their responses and know they take great pride in being part of the Mustang culture. It is just very gratifying and a humbling experience.”
There are 568 members of the inaugural senior class, including 17-year-old Kristopher Pittard. The Naperville teen said being the first class has had many benefits.
“I have really liked being the first class at Metea,” Pittard said. “Because we were a smaller school, I think we have had a lot more opportunities than wouldn’t be possible at other schools. Also, as the first class, we have been able to set a lot of the traditions.”
While seniors are known to “rule the school” at many high schools, members of the Mustang class of 2012 were placed in that position since day one.
“I think it was always expected of us that we be the leaders, and now this year, we really have the hang of it,” senior Kavya Pai said. “It is more natural for us — the whole leadership thing isn’t scary — it is what we should be doing now.”
Pai, 17, said she is honored to be part of Metea’s first graduating class.
“It has been special because there have been so many opportunities provided to us,” Pai said. “We were the first class to do almost everything. It made us mature faster because we were put in that situation earlier than others. We were given opportunities to step up. It pushed us and made us stronger as seniors.”
Metea teacher Don Pankuch said the class of 2012 has basically been leading since middle school.
“They have had to grow up and mature without any direct role models, and they have done a great job at that,” Pankuch said. “But now they are seniors, and will face some scary life choices like college. As a school we are ready to support them and help them excel.”
“We had to prepare for classes that only seniors take, such as government,” said Pankuch, who spent 14 years at Waubonsie Valley. “This need prompted us to reach out to our sister schools of Waubonsie and Neuqua to see what they have done and then tweak it to the Metea way. We have been able to take the best of both of these great schools and combine them for our students. We really spent a lot of time thinking about what we wanted our classes to look like this year for seniors.”
Pankuch said many faculty members spent the summer planning and creating, so when the seniors “walk in on the first day, they will be amazed at the opportunities we have for them.”
“Our hope is they will see that college is just around the corner, and Metea has done an excellent job of getting them ready for it,” Pankuch said. “Of course, they won’t realize till they get into college and come back for homecoming — our first real homecoming in 2012.”
And based on the first two years, expectations are high.
“I am just hoping that my senior year can live up to the fantastic experience that these last two years have been,” Pittard said. “I have made great friends in my class, and the opportunities we have had as a new school, and as seniors, have been incredible.”
Metea Valley welcomes first senior class
The first day of school is historically a starting point for students and administrators, but at Metea Valley High School, Monday was also a culmination.
In a packed gymnasium of almost 2,500 students, Principal Jim Schmid, for the first time, welcomed a senior class, along with freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
“We are extremely excited to see the previous three years of planning and implementation come to fruition with our first graduating class of 2012,” Schmid said. “As a class, they have provided excellent leadership and direction for the many systems, celebrations and opportunities that are now in place.”
Assistant Principal Joy Ross shares the sentiment.
“It is so fulfilling to be at year three and have a full complement of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors,” Ross said. “You think back to the early stages — all the plans on paper and all the things that were concepts. Now you are able to share all these things with actual kids, see their responses and know they take great pride in being part of the Mustang culture. It is just very gratifying and a humbling experience.”
There are 568 members of the inaugural senior class, including 17-year-old Kristopher Pittard. The Naperville teen said being the first class has had many benefits.
“I have really liked being the first class at Metea,” Pittard said. “Because we were a smaller school, I think we have had a lot more opportunities than wouldn’t be possible at other schools. Also, as the first class, we have been able to set a lot of the traditions.”
While seniors are known to “rule the school” at many high schools, members of the Mustang class of 2012 were placed in that position since day one.
“I think it was always expected of us that we be the leaders, and now this year, we really have the hang of it,” senior Kavya Pai said. “It is more natural for us — the whole leadership thing isn’t scary — it is what we should be doing now.”
Pai, 17, said she is honored to be part of Metea’s first graduating class.
“It has been special because there have been so many opportunities provided to us,” Pai said. “We were the first class to do almost everything. It made us mature faster because we were put in that situation earlier than others. We were given opportunities to step up. It pushed us and made us stronger as seniors.”
Metea teacher Don Pankuch said the class of 2012 has basically been leading since middle school.
“They have had to grow up and mature without any direct role models, and they have done a great job at that,” Pankuch said. “But now they are seniors, and will face some scary life choices like college. As a school we are ready to support them and help them excel.”
“We had to prepare for classes that only seniors take, such as government,” said Pankuch, who spent 14 years at Waubonsie Valley. “This need prompted us to reach out to our sister schools of Waubonsie and Neuqua to see what they have done and then tweak it to the Metea way. We have been able to take the best of both of these great schools and combine them for our students. We really spent a lot of time thinking about what we wanted our classes to look like this year for seniors.”
Pankuch said many faculty members spent the summer planning and creating, so when the seniors “walk in on the first day, they will be amazed at the opportunities we have for them.”
“Our hope is they will see that college is just around the corner, and Metea has done an excellent job of getting them ready for it,” Pankuch said. “Of course, they won’t realize till they get into college and come back for homecoming — our first real homecoming in 2012.”
And based on the first two years, expectations are high.
“I am just hoping that my senior year can live up to the fantastic experience that these last two years have been,” Pittard said. “I have made great friends in my class, and the opportunities we have had as a new school, and as seniors, have been incredible.”