It has been a little more than a month since the new school year started, and Lenape is already off to a great start! From things to look forward to, to new changes, to interviews with Lenape students, let’s get this back-to-school article started!

Hopefully, by now, you’ve seen the new turf. Constructed over the summer and finished at the beginning of the year, the turf is an amazing addition to our school. However, the field is not the only change to Lenape from the summer! A little less noticeable was the many classrooms that were also altered. So, if you thought things like lighting seemed different, you aren’t crazy, just observative.

Although a few big events of the year (like spirit week, Pride Day, and homecoming) are behind us, we still have so much to look forward to! For instance, juniors have a Six Flags trip tomorrow (wish me luck because it’s Fright Fest season and I’m easily scared) and sophomores have a trip to Dorney Park soon. And, of course, the seniors have their Disney trip in the spring. 

Besides class trips, we can also look forward to lots of other events! Dance-wise, juniors have the Junior Dinner Dance, sophomores have the Sophomore Cotillion, the freshmen will likely have a gathering, and of course, the seniors have prom! Mr. Lenape is also an upcoming event that many students are looking forward too.

Personally, I’m very excited for JDD, as is Valeria Sandoval-Cuervo, a fellow junior. Valeria and I are currently in the notorious junior year, which everyone says is the hardest. Valeria says she expected a lot of work, but she is “still blown away by the workload”. However,  Valeria chooses to look at the challenge with a positive mindset and believes that the workload is “still manageable so long as I stay efficient and allocate time on the weekends for work”. 

A year older than Valeria and I, May Sukkarieh, a senior, is most excited about the Disney trip and prom. May is also ecstatic about 2023’s recent spirit stick win and feels “AMAZING!” about it. Of course, as this is her last year at Lenape, May also feels nostalgic about a lot of things. Out of everything, she says that she is going to miss spirit week, football and basketball games, and her classmates and teachers the most. May believes she’ll probably cry when she graduates because she’ll have to say goodbye to all of her friends. She also says that she expects me to cry at her graduation… we’ll see (but she’s probably right). 

While Lenape will be saying farewell to May at the end of this year, May’s sister has just started her Lenape career. As a new freshman, Tami recently experienced what we all had to go through: the transition from middle school to high school. Tami says that at first, the amount of homework was overwhelming because Harrington’s teachers didn’t give as much. She also says she had to go through a couple of the rotations in order to get the hang of the 4-day schedule, and she “thinks” she knows where every hall is now (which is a lot faster than me during my freshman year). Overall, Tami really likes Lenape more than Harrington. She enjoys her classes, had a fun Pride Day, and is “very much” looking forward to the next four years. Tami says she is “really looking forward to being a part of the community”, and I think everyone can agree that our school’s community is one of Lenape’s best aspects.

To our new freshman (or really anyone), here is some advice from those featured in this article:

Valeria: “Don’t listen to people, even teachers, who say that a topic should be easy. People may try to make you feel stupid for not understanding, but not understanding is normal. Accept that sometimes you might have to work harder than other people to achieve the same results.”

May: “Have fun and get involved. Everyone says it for a reason. Make sure you stay on top of all your classes, even if they’re easy.”

I completely agree with Valeria and May. Make the most out of your time here at Lenape. Make new friends, join clubs, and attend events. Don’t wait until your senior year to start going to football games or school dances. Your four years at Lenape fly by fast, so take advantage of every opportunity. 

Have a great year, everyone! To quote Mr. Cattani: “Lenape pride!”