Ready, Set, Sail: Students on Board for a New School Year

Sofia Park

 High school students are setting sail, adapting to the new school year in their new environment — the new high school building, also known as the Harbor.

During the early morning of Wednesday, 15 August 2018, excited chatters filled the school. The occasion? Why, it was the first day of school! Moreover, the high school students would start their classes in a newly-built building.

Marine themed decorations adorned the walls. The koi fish swam in the little waterfall pond. Excited whispers filled the halls. It felt just as if the Harbor building would suddenly transform in to a sailing ship and sail off into the vast, blue sky.

Later in the morning, Mr. Brewster held a small assembly on “The Deck”, introducing the new students and the teachers, the building, and the new school theme — “Setting Sail”. Joel Kelley (10), in a random act of kindness, even baked cookies for the new student. Mr. Brewster then introduced the high school to the now completed auditorium, where he held the rest of the assembly.

School days seemed to go along without a problem. Little issues, however, soon started to bubble to the surface. Classrooms did not have room numbers; port names from around the world labelled the doors instead, confusing many students, both new and old. Not only were the classrooms labelled with port names, but the room names were also organised by the hemispheres for each floor.

“The view in the new building is stunning, and I really like the idea of each classroom being a different port city,” agreed Natasha Palanivel (12). “The first day, however, felt like a test of our geography because we had to figure out if our rooms/port cities were in the Northern, Equatorial, or the Southern Hemisphere.”

In addition, many students started to complain of the excessive nautical puns from teachers. Nonetheless, many other students adored these puns—and have even started to add their own. "We really should give lifeboats to hang on the walls for our Senior Gift," quipped Sin Ler Oo (12). Alex Shing (12) then added, "If someone falls onto the grass and goes ‘I'm drowningggg,’ we could paddle over and save them with the lifeboat."

As weeks passed, students have started to settle into their new rhythmic schedule, allowing the vaguely familiar, repetitive routine to begin. The excitement of the new school year dimmed, and students familiarized themselves with the layout of the building. Yet, the excitement did not fully leave the students — the students have now set their sails, to go off into their own adventures this new school year might bring.