What’s Coming Up: Homecoming Week and Fall Festival
Homecoming is a staple of the fall semester for Highland High School, and this year is no different, with lots of homecoming activities on the agenda.
Up first is Highland High School’s annual Homecoming Parade. The parade takes place on Friday, September 20, at 6:00 p.m. and lasts about an hour. Later on the same night, the Homecoming Football Game starts at 7:00 p.m.
Everything will lead up to the Annual Homecoming Dance. The dance is on Saturday, September 21 and begins at 7:00 p.m. The dance will last two hours, ending at 9:00 p.m., and will take place in the High School Auxiliary gym. This year, the dance is Country and Western themed.
Additionally, the entire week leading up to Homecoming is a spirit week, so the student body is encouraged to dress according to each day’s theme.
Another fun activity that Highland students and residents can enjoy is the town of Highland’s fall festival, which takes place 5 -10 p.m. on Friday, September 27. The festival continues Saturday, September 28, from 12:00 -10 p.m., and Sunday, September 29, from 12:00 - 8:00 p.m. The festival includes rides and vendors.
What’s Happened Recently: Kicking off the New School Year and Athletic Seasons
On Tuesday, August 13, the brand new 2019-2020 school year began at Highland High School. Although the new school year will of course be full of learning, the start of the year also means that Fall sports are officially underway.
The sports included during the fall season are Boys and Girls cross country, Boys and Girls soccer, Boys tennis, Girls golf, as well as football, volleyball, and dance. For the sports currently in the midst of their seasons, students are encouraged to go to games and show their support for Highland athletics.
On August 23, the large turnout of students who celebrated at Highland High School’s annual tailgate party before watching the football game later that night demonstrated one particular instance of school spirit.
The Trojans Football Team has a long season ahead of them, and it is likely that Highland’s student section will continue to be filled with students showing their support for the team.
Staff Spotlight: Julie Larson
At the very start of the 2019-2020 school year, Highland welcomed Julie Larson to the English Department. Although this is her first year as a full-time teacher at Highland, she worked in the middle school prior to this school year. At the middle school, she worked one-on-one with students who spoke English as a second language or needed extra attention, while also building a curriculum to assist future students. She has also worked as a substitute teacher in the Highland school district.
After graduating from college, Larson did some editing and producing for a literary journal before shifting her focus to teaching.
“I am really active in the community, so I’m involved in different programs and committees in our area,” she said. “I realized that I wanted to give back more to the community, so I decided to go into teaching so I could reach more people with writing.”
Although Larson shares lots of knowledge with her students, she also has come to find that she learns from them, too.
“My students have taught me to relax and laugh with them,” she said. “I think students learn better when they trust you and you trust them, and I think they have taught me a lot.”
Teaching can be a very rewarding job, and Larson enjoys seeing a student’s knowledge of a topic grow.
“Seeing students engage with literature and really get it and understand something is very rewarding,” she said.
Teachers can have a big impact on their students, and this is something Larson keeps in mind when she is working with them.
“My favorite part of teaching is giving the knowledge I have of something to someone else. It is nice to see that you are making a difference in someone’s life, even if it’s at a small level.”
Larson knows that if you are going into the education field, you have to give it your all.
“If you are going into teaching, be patient, go with the flow, and be dedicated. You can’t just go into teaching halfway,” she said.
Student Spotlight: Kailyn Butler
Being committed to both Highland’s volleyball team and band is no simple task, but high school junior Kailyn Butler manages to make it work. Whether on or off the court, Butler is always ready to give her best effort.
Butler, who plays the French horn in concerts and the mellophone in the marching band, finds both of her extracurriculars enjoyable, and she acknowledged that both volleyball and band allow her to have new experiences.
“Band allows me to be a part of something that is totally different from everything else,” she said.
Keeping up with the busy schedules of volleyball practices and games, band obligations, and her schoolwork requires Butler to use her time wisely.
“There are definitely late nights of studying and work,” she said.
However, to her, it is completely worth it.
“The best part of being in band is hearing the end result of a piece after preparing for weeks and finally getting to perform it,” she said. “And in volleyball, I love the feeling of adrenaline you get when you or a teammate makes a big play.”
Besides just enjoying herself, Butler’s extracurriculars also help her understand the importance of teamwork.
“Communication in volleyball is vital, as you and your teammates have to know who’s going to get the ball.”
Being around her fellow band members has also enabled Butler to meet and grow close with different people.
“Everyone is like one big family,” she said.
Being in two totally different after school activities has given Butler lots of unique opportunities. Although she is still only a junior, Butler has proved to have a diverse skillset thanks to her extracurriculars.