As students filed into Alden High School, it might have seemed surreal that they were back to school already. Hundreds of schools around the state and country started on September 1st, a break from the tradition of starting school after Labor Day.  Members of the class of 2019 kicked off their long but rewarding high school journey in a frantic and exciting first day of high school. Veteran students were probably unfazed by the changes made over the summer or the ongoing construction, but newcomers were, at times, a little overwhelmed.

For freshman Payton Torregrossa, a JV volleyball player, the most striking thing about her first day was the amount of freedom students actually have compared to middle school: “I was used to not having a lot and all of a sudden you get a lot and it’s kind of overwhelming.” Senior students also experienced a strange, yet welcome last first day of school. Katie Williams, a senior and Girl’s Varsity Swimming Captain, spoke to us about her day. “It feels weird to be a senior, but it’s kinda awesome because we’re almost done with high school but it’s also kinda sad because we’re almost done with high school. It’s like a bittersweet sort of feeling.”

Naturally, there were many differences between this year and last, but for seniors, the first day was a breath of fresh air. Katie commented: “It wasn’t really stressful because I knew what I was doing. I had all my supplies and knew all my teachers already.” For Mrs. Chaves, a second-year teacher who filled in last year teaching Chemistry Lab and Environmental Science and is now full-time, a welcome change during the first week of school was “being here for the longer hours. I really love that I get to be totally immersed and commit all my time to one school and one subject.”

Experienced Alden students might notice a distinct lack of the Ms. Weisbeck/Mrs. Gramza dynamic duo, who retired last year after 30+ years of teaching and guidance at Alden High School. They not only taught English and Special Education and directed the annual play and musical; they were also pillars of school spirit and student involvement. They might also notice the loss of Mrs. Kohl, an experienced Chemistry teacher, who moved to Florida to teach there.

Her room is now filled by Mrs. Chaves. “This room is beautiful, so it’s amazing… it’s much bigger,” she said, when asked about her brand new classroom that she has to herself this year. She’s looking forward to getting more involved in school activities this year. “I just love being involved in everything that goes on, because [last year] I would miss some stuff, like pep assemblies and things like that, but I’m glad that I’m here this year to be a part of all that.”

The room switch made by Mrs. Chaves is not the only one. Sophomore Kimberly Newman said the first thing she noticed on the first day of school was that Mrs. Grosso was now on the opposite side of the building in room 129 and Mrs. Hale, a new English teacher, is in her old room. Indeed, many classrooms have switched to account for the number of teachers that had retired and been hired. Mrs. Marchewka-Cornwell, colloquially known as Mrs. M-C, is now in Ms. Weisbeck’s room, 116, with Mrs. Puntoriero in her old one. Miss Frain has moved out of Mrs. Williams’ room and is now in room 213. “The classrooms that switched get a little confusing because I’m so used to them being the same,” said junior Erin Urbanski, but students are easily getting used to the changes.

It may have been a peculiar feeling to walk the halls of Alden again, but this school year certainly has a bright future ahead of it. “The workload’s going to be more, but I enjoy the courses more so even though they’re harder and they’re a lot more work, I think I’ll enjoy them more because I had more of a choice,” said Katie, who is taking challenging courses such as AP Biology, AP Literature, and College Chemistry to prepare for college next year. Sophomore Kimberly Newman said she’s most looking forward to Spanish Club this year under the direction of Miss Ziegler, and freshman Payton Torregrossa says she’s excited about being a new member of the well-established and active Donate Life Club, advised by Mrs. Delzer and Mrs. Gramza. Both clubs are getting underway this month and already have a packed schedule.

Mrs. Chaves, who currently has two classes each of Chemistry and Chemistry Lab, explained her goals for the new school year. “I really want to encourage students to not be afraid of chemistry, because it’s so important to understand what’s going on in the world… I also want to make sure that I’m being open to constructive criticism as a new teacher.” For junior Erin Urbanski, , the most exciting thing to look forward to is the Oceanography class starting next semester, taught by Mrs. Moran. Her goals for the year? “To keep a high average and be able to do all the stuff that I want to do throughout the year.” Freshman Payton Torregrossa has a similar sentiment. It sounds like Alden is in for an exciting and successful 2015-16 school year!