Thundering. Overwhelming. Towering. These are words Tahoma students used to describe the new high school’s atmosphere and how they feel about the new dynamic the high school brings.

Walking into a new situation, such as a new high school, is nerve-racking for everyone. However, it also brings endless amounts of possibilities and excitement. As Tahoma students reflected back on the past month and gave their insight on what they would change to make the school a better place because every new situation comes with flaws.

The most discussed topic with the previous high school was the parking lot. Students and staff both agreed that the previous high school’s parking lot was a disaster to get out of. Although it is not perfect, the new high school’s parking lot is better.

“My one dislike about the new school is I wish that they would have put in assigned parking,” Hannah Davis, a Junior at Tahoma High School, explains. When it comes to parking at the high school, Davis feels that there should be assigned parking lots so that everyone who bought a parking pass can get a spot without obtaining unnecessary anxiety in the process However, Davis explained that the new high school’s’ parking lot is vastly better than the old high school’s parking lot. “I find the new parking lot better than last years since the buses exit on the other side of the school which makes leaving school much faster,” said Davis. At the old high school, the staff, students, parent pick-ups/drop-offs and buses all shared only one exit to leave the school, causing a large amount of traffic to build up and having some people in line waiting for up to an hour just to leave the parking lot.

One thing that unites students together is the football games. Each Friday night that there is a home game, students gather in the bleachers together to cheer on the team and show their school spirit. Sadly, students are finding it harder to attend the games.

“I would change [the school] by making the new stadium,” said Chase Beyer, a Senior at Tahoma High School, “it doesn’t make sense to play our games at a middle school for football.”

Currently, Tahoma Football and other sports play their games at the old high school, now Maple View Middle School. When students want to go to games they have to drive all the way out to Covington, which some people do not enjoy having to do so. Beyer and other students feel that if we had a stadium at the new high school then more students would attend based on convenience

There are countless reasons why students do not enjoy school. One of the main reasons students do not like school is because to them it is boring. According to Jeanna Bryner, a managing editor at LiveScience: “About 30 percent of the students indicate they are bored due to lack of interaction with teachers and 75 percent report material being taught is not interesting,” Bryner further explains that of those students, 20 percent of them have considered dropping out for various reasons such as they didn’t enjoy the teachers or the school. When students feel like what they are doing is meaningless or if they do not like the school, they are less likely to show up for school and have a higher chance of dropping out of school.

Absences should be a high priority for all students and families. The article “The Importance of School Attendance,” from the website Absences Add Up, describes that students who have regular attendance, even if they are not the best students academically, have better success for the future than kids who don’t. “Students who attend school regularly also feel more connected to their community, develop important social skills and friendships, and are significantly more likely to graduate from high school, setting them up for a strong future.” Students who attend school regularly end up being better students and have better relationships. The article also explains that students who do not attend regularly tend to fall behind academically to their peers, making school even harder for them. Students during the school year should have few absences, even if they don’t want to show up to school because it will help them be better-rounded students.

Everyone is a part of the transition to the new school together. As students and staff try to find their way it is important to understand that the new high school has flaws, faults and even more opportunities. Tahoma can and is taking time to work out the kinks so students have a better school environment.