'A good energy': Music, cheers kick off the first day of school at Shadow Hills High

One by one, cars began lining up the driveway of the Shadow Hills High School parking lot Tuesday, marking the first day of classes for the over 26,000 students enrolled in the Desert Sands Unified School District.

With Shadow Hills High expecting approximately 1,700 students, principal David Dunn expressed mixed emotions about the day's morning welcome.

"I think everybody is a little nervous today, and it's a good nervous," he said. "It's a good energy. But I think that energy is conveyed with welcoming all of our students here this morning."

He went on to explain his vision for the year, which is focused on engaging students.

"Our effort this year, again, is to go back and create a safe place where kids learn with high expectations," Dunn said. "There's two parts that we really focused on a lot (when planning for) this year, and that was rigor and engagement."

Starting the year on the right foot

Returning students at Shadow Hills High were greeted with a warm welcome as they made their way onto campus. From the smiling faces of the administration to the enthusiastic hellos from teachers, nerves were equally met with excitement from all members of the community.

As students with their purple lanyards and backpacks began funneling in through the school gates, they were met with a spectacle put on by the Shadow High cheer team, who, in their purple uniforms and with glittering pom poms, began chanting for the incoming students.

The Shadow Hills High band also made an appearance playing their instruments as students continued to make their way into the school.

Kylie Ragland is a senior at SHHS and executive president of the Associated Student Body. She has been involved with the program since her freshman year on campus. The ASB helped set up the morning's event, filling it with balloons, posters and smiles.

"We believe that the first day of school really sets the tone for the whole year, and we want students to be excited," Ragland said. "So, when we encourage our ASB and we bring that enthusiasm, we believe that reflects on our student body."

Captain of the cheer team and senior class president Daniella Garcia was also present and reflecting on her last year of high school.

"I think I'm most excited for just taking it one day at a time and really taking in everyday as much as possible," she said.

Both students were ecstatic at the activities in store for them during their senior year, such as their homecoming and prom.

Looking ahead

Jana Lew has been an educator within the Coachella Valley for 23 years. Lew is now embarking on her 11th year at Shadow Hills High, as both an English teacher and head of the English Department. Having first taught 9th graders, Lew, with a little over a decade working at SHHS, now primarily teaches seniors.

Lew said her approach to teaching 12th-graders is one of collaboration, where students get to work on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills together. A particular focus is placed on understanding your rhetorical situation, she added.

"You know, there's so many aspects of the world that students don't get at school," Lew said. "That senior year comes around and we really try and prepare for those elements of difficulty beyond the classroom ... to help them get where they want to be next year. That's my biggest goal. Career and college. Whatever it is, I gotta get them ready."

Although the school year has just begun, Lew expressed her excitement for what's to come.

"I am always excited for the spring because my students are getting their letters of acceptance, and so I will put them in my windows, I will post them, I will do shoutouts on social media," she said. "I love the culmination of 13 years of hard work and being able to see what they're doing."

Ramon Salado Romo is a Stanford Rebele Journalism Internship Program participant working for the Desert Sun this summer. He can be reached at rsaladoromo@palmspri.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: First day of school for Desert Sands Unified brings nerves, excitement