Decatur and Athens students set their goals this year
Aug. 11—Students in Decatur City and Athens City schools started their school year off Wednesday with goals of improving their grades and making friends, and seniors are determined this will be their best high school experience yet.
Seniors Erika Carlson and Mayco Tino were making their way into Decatur High on Wednesday morning, trying to beat the bell that would signal their first classes of a new year. They both plan to hit the books harder this year so they can raise their grade-point averages and ACT scores.
"We plan on taking the ACT to make sure we're meeting the requirements to get into certain colleges," Carlson said. "I plan on retaking the ACT as many times as I can."
Carlson said she is interested in pursuing a career in the medical field after she graduates and Tino aspires to work in real estate "or some type of business-related field."
Both students said they hope their final year will be spent in classrooms and not remotely from their homes.
"We're hoping for a normal year but we also got used to the pandemic," Carlson said. "Virtual was fine for the moment because everyone was doing it. For me, it's kind of difficult being here with everyone and having to leave our own space at home."
Tino agreed it will be a little overwhelming at first to be around crowds of students at school but said he's ready to get back to learning through consistent in-person instruction. Both seniors were freshmen when the COVID-19 pandemic began, forcing schools across the nation to transition to virtual learning.
"We'll get to see everybody again that we didn't get to see as much during our freshman and sophomore years," Tino said.
Parents and students at Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary greeted Principal David Kross as he welcomed them back to school.
Third grade student Charlie Peek is coming to the school this year from Benjamin Davis Elementary, which only goes through second grade. Making new friends and becoming a million-word reader for the first time are his top priorities this year.
J.R. Price began his fourth grade year Wednesday and is looking forward to being in the gifted program at Leon Sheffield. His father, Brandon, said the school was instrumental in getting his son to not only read on grade level last year, but to flourish academically.
"They spent the last two years working with him, and he went from being dyslexic and not being able to read at grade level to being in the talented and gifted program," Brandon said. "That tells you what kind of time and effort they put into their students."
Athens High senior Anna Vassar Hutt was elected student council president in May and wants to leave behind an example this year she hopes other seniors will follow in the future.
"I want to make this school more inclusive to everybody and just make it fun and have something that everyone can do," Hutt said. "We're going to have fun pep rallies and we do carnations on Valentine's Day and we always make sure everyone gets one. We've got a lot of other activities planned; there's like a billion (things) we'll do."
Hutt said her class has come a long way since their freshman year in making efforts at getting to know one another.
"My freshman year, we had all our small groups but I think by the end of this year, we're going to be really unified," Hutt said.
Athens High Executive Principal Willie Moore said he had the opportunity to speak with Hutt and the rest of the student council last week as they were helping teachers decorate their classrooms.
"From cleaning to hanging up signs, any job we needed them to do they did it," Moore said. "They were instrumental in helping us get school started this year."
— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.
