When walking through the small, crowded hallways of Yutan High School, it’s normal for students to recognize everyone they walk past. However, when students returned for this current school year, they probably noticed multiple new faces walking through the halls or sitting next to them in class.
“There are a total of 14 new students; five that optioned in and nine that moved into the school district,” high school principal Stefanie Novotny said.
Similar to previous years, Yutan has seen a steady increase in students entering the district and transferring into the high school building. Novotny shares that the large number of new students brings many positives to the school setting.
“I think that new students bring different perspectives and experiences with them when they come here. Most of them come from larger schools, so they have an opportunity to get to know all of their classmates, which maybe they were unable to do at a bigger school,” Novotny said.
Sophomore Ryan Maguire, who transferred from Westview, a bigger suburban school, likes that he can build more connections with more people.
“I like Yutan better because you can get to know more people than you can at a bigger school,” Maguire said.
Although optioning from a larger school can have many benefits, so does moving from a smaller district. Freshman Jersey Siske, who transferred from Mead, agrees that moving into a new school district can be a great experience.
“Some positives are being able to get a fresh start and also being able to play higher level sports with other good athletes,” Siske said.
Even though it’s early in the school year, Novotny has seen new students find their way to a group of friends or an activity they can succeed in.
“I think that the new students are fitting in well and finding their group of peers that they are able to connect with,” Novotny said.
Something that made it easier for Maguire to connect with his peers is a mutual connection with Yutan alumnus Brady Timm.
“I already knew a lot of people who went to Yutan from basketball, so that helped a lot,” Maguire said.
Meeting new people was also not a hill to climb for Siske as she already knew multiple Yutan students from softball.
“I student managed Yutan-Mead Patriots softball when I went to Mead, and I got to know a lot of the girls,” Siske said. “They mentioned to me that I should transfer, and now I feel like I am way closer with them than I was with people at Mead.”
Being with her new friends and finding her groove through athletics is just one thing Siske is looking forward to this upcoming school year.
“I’m really excited to finish out softball season with my team and grow closer to more people once basketball season starts,” Siske said.
Also excited for the upcoming winter season, Maguire says that he is most looking forward to playing basketball.
“I’m most excited for basketball season because it’s my favorite sport and I get to play with a new team,” Maguire said.
Having the ability to do new things with new people is just one of the many things that new students can enjoy about Yutan.
“Yutan is a place that people are wanting to move to because of the great things that we have going on here,” Novotny said.
