Cheyenne Cook is ValpoLife.com's #1StudentNWI representative at Washington Township High School. For her first column, Cheyenne wrote about the small school friendly atmosphere at Washington Township that translates to an always large, prideful student section. She also traces her journey through Washington Township schools from seventh grade on and tells us just how proud she is to be a Senator.
With just around 200 students, Washington Township High School is clearly a small school.
I first attended Washington Township in seventh grade. I still remember, to this day, how welcoming everyone was on my first day of school. Within minutes of walking into my first hour class I became friends with just about everyone. I remember being extremely nervous for my first day at a new school, but the students at Washington made sure I was very welcome.
WT has just four hallways that connect both the high school and middle school, with the elementary school less than 100 feet away. There are a little more than 50 students in my graduating class and because of that we have all remained very close friends.
At my school, everyone knows everyone and the latest gossip is always shared within minutes. It's comforting always having a friend around. Within just two short years, I bonded with just about every classmate I knew.
After I had finished my eighth grade year, I received some sad news from my parents. We were moving out of the Washington Township area. We ended up moving to Chesterton, where I attended my first year of high school.
Switching to such a large school was very difficult for me. I did not get the welcoming I got at Washington. I wasn't nearly as close to anyone at Chesterton the way I was with most of my classmates at Washington.
After begging my parents for over a year to allow me to transfer schools, they finally budged. I was ecstatic to be a Senator again, and I have yet to regret transferring one bit.
WT has something we call “Psycho Senate.” This is our unique version of the student fan section. This is one of my favorite things about my school! We have our own creative fan section, unlike any other school, and it has been one of the most successful ideas we've had in our years here.
I am very prideful of my school and every student walking through the small four hallways we have. We may be a small school but our spirit and pride for our school is quite the opposite.