First Week of Classes

By: Tricia Thompson

First week of classes: 0, Academy students: 160. The first week of classes is over, and from the looks of things, everyone’s having a great week. From syllabus days (that cover much more than just the syllabus sometimes) to starting new subjects, and from first trickles of homework to initial club meetings, the first week of classes is always a hectic, stressful, but exciting time. Many of the juniors have now written their first lines of code; many others are learning new alphabets or quizzing over chapter 1. While classwork tends not to be as heavy right at the beginning of the semester, the feel of our school has changed to just what it is: a school. While there will always be people playing ping-pong and foosball, study groups and homework sessions have also started to take root in the common spaces. A dumpling party and presentations about Chinese culture organized by some of the STEM+Chinese seniors melded with groups figuring out their first calculus homework this past Wednesday. This weekend brings the cherished chance to sleep in and catch up on homework while also allowing for laundry, a bowling and laser tag trip, a movie night, and other free time activities.

While GROWeek is always an exciting adventure, there’s something to be said for the freedom that comes with not having scheduled sessions with your whole class every day. The seniors are working to get back into the swing of things while the juniors are taking their first steps on their own. We’re all looking forward to the coming semester with the nervous, but excited, anticipation. After all, it’s already off to a great start.