Many SCHS students reach for a new star and discover new possibilities
Many students felt they came out of their comfort zone by trying new things.
As the spirit squad runs onto the football field, a new team member tightens their ponytail and fixes a smile to hide any nervousness. They take a deep breath, walk out to cheer on the team and start the season of their new sport.
SCHS students experiment with new opportunities on campus in hopes of stepping out of their comfort zone and expanding their extracurriculars. With an intention to experience and learn, students’ recent explorations have led to a wide scope of possibilities.
In his freshman year, junior Andrew Gutierrez passed on the opportunity to perform with the school’s marching band and has held anguish since. After giving marching band a try in the fall of 2021, Gutierrez found a new appreciation for his musical background.
“Freshman year, I was like, ‘I don’t want to talk to anyone. I just want to go home.’ I didn’t really know anyone, so if I joined (marching band), I wouldn’t really fit in,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve always wanted to do it, but now that I have friends, I regret not doing it freshman year.”
Along with Gutierrez, senior William Giancaterino followed a similar path of joining a new musical activity on campus. After participating in symphonic and jazz bands throughout high school, Giancaterino recently signed up for concert choir two to prepare for his plans after high school.
“I want to major in music education, and in music education, you have to do a wide range of musical activities,” Giancaterino said. “Just listening, your intuition, working on that, it’s just better overall.”
For sophomore Anaya Kendall, joining the spirit squad helped her step out of her comfort zone and become a more well-known member of many communities on campus.
“It brought me out of my shell,” Kendall said. “I made a ton of friends from it, and I got closer with people because of it.”
Despite various concerns of her skill set or qualifications for the team, Kendall still decided to try out and was glad to do so.
“I was nervous that I wasn’t going to be as good as the other people or that I was going to embarrass myself,” Kendall said. “But that’s not what happened, so just do it. Just try it. Even if you fail, you just try again.”
As the end of the year approaches, students often reflect on their past three quarters and start to plan for their next school year. Giancaterino advises developing a growth mindset when attempting anything new or advanced during this time.
“Try going in with an open mind and try not to be stubborn about it,” Giancaterino said. “When you let yourself just take in the information and you ask questions, you can learn a lot faster and you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more.”