As another school year rolls around and everyone gets back into the swing of things, GHS has the opportunity to welcome a whopping seven new students to the school! They’ve come from all sorts of walks of life, and the staff and students at GHS have worked hard to make our new students feel welcome and less nervous about the transition to a new town and school. From a student moving here from Las Vegas to coming from our not so far neighbor, Fulton, this new group of students have all sorts of experiences to share!
Joining the freshman class at Galena is Allana Pithoud ‘29, who moved here all the way from California! “It was pretty crazy at my old school compared to here, especially the things the students were doing without getting in trouble,” Pithound said. “But at this school, the teachers will recognize when students need help or are not doing well, and do their best to help them.” She is excited to be a part of many clubs and sports here at Galena, mainly drama club, volleyball, and GSA.
The other new inclusion to the freshman class is Briar Winter ‘29, who moved here from Naperville, Illinois. They said that their old school was a lot bigger than here in Galena, but have also stated their positives about Galena. “It’s kinda scary to move to a new school, but I’ve met people and made friends already. Everyone’s been incredibly nice to me,” they said. Winter is hoping to get involved in drama club and is excited to begin her high school years in Galena, despite the changes of moving.
The first new member of the sophomore class is Michael Foley ‘28, who has moved here from Fulton. According to Foley, his old school was very sports oriented. “It was either you were involved in sports, which was quite a large group of people, or you were involved in academics, which was a much smaller group,” he said. Foley said his experience at Galena has been really good so far, and he’s feeling confident going into his sophomore year.
The second person joining the sophomore class is Vivian Schwinghamer ‘28, who has moved from Las Vegas. She’s said how the change to a much smaller school and new town has been a challenge for her. “It feels really weird. I know nobody and I left my friends back home. But my experience has been good. Everyone’s nice and they’re all just great people,” she said. Schwinghamer hopes to get out of her comfort zone and experience new things here in Galena.
The addition to the junior class is Drew Senica ‘27, who’s come to us from La Salle. He’s stated how the differences between schools have been for him. “My old school was a lot bigger, especially compared to Galena. It’s exciting, but I’m nervous at the same time,” he said. Senica said that his experience at Galena has been great, and he’s excited to have a good time here!
Louis Hernandez, who has come to Galena to become more fluent in English, is excited to join Galena’s student roster. “I feel confident about coming to Galena. The biggest thing is the language, but otherwise it’s been really good. It’s also really calm here.” said Hernandez. He hopes to learn enough English to attend a two year community college. He’s been having a good time at Galena and is excited to see what’s next.
Joining Louis is his brother, Marck Hernandez. He’s been adjusting really well to the transition to a new school. “It was way different at my old school. Everything’s different and changing, but it’s been really good so far. I’m getting a lot of support from teachers,” said Hernandez. Like his brother, Hernandez is hoping to become fluent enough in English to attend college. He has been doing great at Galena so far and is excited to expand his fluency in English here at Galena.
All of the new students have had varying experiences and thoughts about moving to Galena. Even though they may be worried and continue to adjust to the new environment they’ve come to, the staff and students at Galena work hard to make them all feel welcome and a part of the GHS family.
