Students, staff reflect on 23-24

By Terrell Henderson Jr. 

Reporter/Photographer

School. A school is a place where minds grow, characters are born, drama is created, and magic happens. With another school year in the books, there are numerous lessons you could take away, but with so many lessons learned, here are a few takeaways from the students and the Crete-Monee High School Community staff.

Students pose for a photo in the circle. Photo courtesy of Terrell Henderson.

Freshman Victoria Santiago-Kubels says the lesson that she learned from this school year was staying on top of her work. 

“This school year was interesting. It was something new. In the middle of the year, I enjoyed it a lot, but overall, I cannot wait for sophomore year. If I learned anything from this year, it was to stay on top of my work,” Santiago said. 

As the school year winds down, Sophomore Saniya Hillard shares her lesson, saying she wants to be more involved.

“It was very fun. There were more whole-school activities than last year, and more students were included. One thing that stuck with me throughout this year was our first pep rally in years. If I had to take anything from this year, it would be to be more involved,” Hillard said. 

Many kids always learn this lesson a little too late in high school, as Junior Alainna Hughes learns that you need to be prepared and keep your circle close. 

“This school your extracurricular activity was great educationally it was a little bit rougher on my end if I learned one lesson this year it would definitely be to stay prepared and also try to keep your circle close because those are the ones that will stay with you,” Hughes said. 

Senior year is a reality check for many: Life is coming soon. Senior Makayla Sangter says the lesson she learned was that you have nobody but yourself. 

“This school year had many ups and downs, but if it taught me anything, it taught me that if you have to be there for anybody, it has to be yourself because if you’re not, you will never succeed,”  Sangster said.

English Teacher Mrs. Johnson says that, with her many years of experience, she had to dig deep to learn how to accommodate a certain group of kids. Johnson says the lesson she learned was how to be flexible. 

“As a teacher, I’ve been reminded of the importance of adaptability and patience. I need to be flexible to accommodate different students’ readiness levels and learning styles. I’ve also been reminded of the importance of teaching students that being present is so important and integral to be successful in school,” Johnson said 

While all these lessons are very useful the question still lies: what was this year’s message of the year? There are so many different messages you could take away from this year like try to stay on your work for next year, be more involved next year, learn how to keep your circle close, or even be flexible. But is there one entire message? 

There are so many experiences and lessons learned that the students of Crete-Monee had to endure:  MAP testing, State testing, diagnostic testing, AP testing, final exams, and a red Alice lockdown. There have been many challenges that this high school community has faced, so what is the overall message or lesson learned by all of us? 

Well, to be honest, after hearing from the Crete-Monee School Community, there is no one lesson to be learned. Every school year is different and unique; however, as in life, people need to persevere, stay strong, and have a strong support system. These are lessons that the entire CMHS Community could benefit from in the future.