Registration Day: A Student's Perspective
Holbrook Indian School has seen many faces over the years. This year, we had many returning and some new ones. Seventy-seven students came on registration day. "This is the highest enrollment since my employment," says registrar Mrs. Optiz. She stated that it's been around 59-68 every registration day in the last five years.
When I showed up, there were very few parking spots left. Staff are excited about all these new students being here to learn. "Having all these students here, it's really active," Mrs. Findorff, our office manager, said. The place feels alive with all the students here; during COVID, the school felt empty.
Mr. Fish summed it up nicely: "This is the second highest I've seen kids come in at registration. We are starting to see because of COVID, we didn't have many. This shows [that] COVID is over. Many students are returning, while others heard from family, friends, and just by driving by and seeing the school."
As one of the students here, it's a warm feeling having all these new [students]; it makes the school feel more welcoming, but it's not just me who feels this way. Other students feel the same. Amaré is another student who was here during COVID and even before. "It's comfortable, it doesn't feel lonely."
Mr. Hubbard is the longest-standing teacher and has served this school for 17 years. He said, "My sixth year here, we started with 115. It's AWESOME with all these students here. I'm excited." Another staff member who has been here for a while is Mrs. Ojeda. She has dedicated the last 11 years to teaching our students how not to have fun with reading. (Kidding!) When asked the last time she's seen this level of enrollment, her response was, "The last time we had about 80. I love it; it's very exhilarating. I've never had this many students in ELA."
“This is the first time seeing this [many students]. Having all these kids here makes me happy. I have some of my friends here.”
Ultimately, it's a feeling of awe for staff and students to have the dorms and classrooms filled. There are bound to be challenges with all these new and returning students, but the staff are well prepared and very patient. We students appreciate all the time they put in besides just in the classroom; they make an effort to get to know each of us to the best of their ability.
We look forward to what the school year has in store.
Written by Slade, Senior (Class of 2024)
