Some people think of their high school years as the glory days and some think of them as the worst years of their life, depending on the relationships they built with students and teachers. But how is this generation of students in the Monterey Peninsula going to look back and think of their high school years?
I met with students and staff of Pacific Grove High, Seaside High, Marina High and Stevenson High to find out how well they thought students and staff
members work together and communicate in their school.
An issue often discussed at CHS was cliques and small separate groups.
“All the students seem to get along and communicate well because most have grown up together in the Carmel District,” CHS junior Annie Rooker says, “but that also makes it harder for new kids to join a group fast.”
CHS Academic counselor Jennifer Goodbody says, “Every year I’m on the Carmel scholarship board and we interview approximately 25 seniors, and every year they are asked the question, ‘If you could change something at CHS what would it be?’ And every year at least half of them say they wish they could get rid of cliques and bring students together.”
Even though cliques seem to be in every school, it doesn’t seem to be a main focus or problem at Pacific Grove High.
“Overall, I would say we have great communication at PGHS,” P.G. High senior Erik Morales says.
Students likesophomore Muhammad Awan claim that P.G. High has a community feel and no problem with communicating, whether it is with students or teachers.
A small issue for students at Seaside High is not so much communicating with other students, but rather communicating with their teachers.
“From what I observe, when communicating with teachers it is very easy for the students to do, but most students choose not to,” Seaside High Career Center administrator Guillermana Avalos says.
Communicating with neither teachers nor students also seems to be a problem at Marina High and Stevenson High.
“Most of the students are friendly, and the teachers are really accountable,” Marina High senior Brianna Ward says. “The cliques at Marina all run together so there are no completely separate groups.”
Stevenson students say they feel teachers and students communicate fairly well.
“Personally, I think we communicate pretty well,” Stevenson sophomore Bay Fannin says. “Teachers have schedules outside of their offices so people can go talk to them whenever, and with my peers there is plenty of places to just relax and talk.”
Despite the differences between each school, students and staff agree they want improvement on communication and building relationships in their high schools.
-Elexis Perez
