Becoming a high schooler is always a stressful experience, but for most students attending Beaver Area High School, some of that stress is lessened. Knowing that your first days in high school will be in a familiar building surrounded by people you have known your whole life is very reassuring.

However, 49 new students are joining us this school year, and they haven’t had the opportunity to see all of Beaver Area and our surrounding community.

“It’s much bigger [than my old school]; there’s a lot more people,” freshman Jackson Vuckovich commented who is coming to us from Midland.

While new junior Gabrielle Dickerson noted just the opposite: her former high school in Houston has over 3000 students.

In the past, most of our new students have come from Midland or perhaps Sts. Peter and Paul school, but with the construction of the nearby cracker plant which is attracting workers from all over the country, we are welcoming a lot more students than in previous years.

We have students arriving from Texas, California, and even from overseas.

And that means the school needed to make some changes to help new students with the transition.

“STAP has built a team of students to try and help new students with the technology; I know it can be difficult moving to a new school with [iPads],” guidance counselor Mrs. Belhuemer commented about one of the school’s initiatives.

Fortunately, most new students have had a positive experience attending Beaver Area High School, even with iPads.

Junior Khiyah Clouatre, who moved from Louisiana to Beaver the beginning of her sophomore year, stated, “I like how the teachers communicate with us; they give us more chances to engage in the conversation.”

So, if you see a new student in the halls, don’t forget to introduce yourself!