With the first day of school less than a week away, The Third has been reaching out to some of our high school students to get their perspectives on heading back to the classroom. This week, we spoke with a young person we will call DC, who is starting grade 10 at Riverview High School.
Representational Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
“I think the most exciting part about coming back to school is seeing my friends again. It’s so much easier to stay connected with others especially when everyone has such busy lives,” said DC. “[S]ome of the school related things I’m most looking forward to would be going back to some of the clubs I was in before school ended. I was in Riverview’s Interact Club last year, which focuses on volunteering and helping out in our community. I’m also looking forward to being part of the schools musical, it’s got a great cast and I think we’re going to do a great job.”
However, like many students returning to school, the excitement is tempered by anxiety.
“I think the thing I’m least looking forward to is the stress, everyone wants to do well but it can be very difficult with busy schedules and mean people or critical teachers,” explained DC.
And while DC acknowledges that she has not been bullied, she has “definitely heard a couple stories that are quite upsetting.
“I’m lucky enough that I’ve never been seriously bullied before, I think my first reaction would honestly be to tell a friend, than my parents I’m not really sure how I’d handle that on my own probably try to ignore it,” said DC. “If I saw someone being bullied, I think I would try to stand up for them, no one deserves that, and I think it would only make someone feel worse if it felt like no one cared. I hate hearing the rude comments people make when they think no one around cares enough to say anything.”
Although DC thinks that bullying is a problem at their school, they think that Riverview is doing a better job at inclusion and diversity.
“I think that Riverview could definitely improve in some aspects but it’s pretty diverse and I think they do a good job of making sure everyone has a safe space they can go to. There’s the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance or Gender Sexuality Alliance), which put on a number of activities last year and I know the school also put on a couple different events for the international students. There’s always space to improve but I think they do an all right job.”
DC doesn’t yet know what she wants to do after she graduates, but her favourite subjects are English and math. “I love to write stories and using big and descriptive words in my work; I find writing to be a lot of fun,” DC told The Third. “On the other hand, I also really like math, it tends to come pretty easily to me, and I like having something to focus on.”
While DC’s future still undecided, there is one thing that they do know: “I’d like to be at least somewhat in charge of myself.”
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