The new school year brings the Bobcat family back for another three trimesters. In addition to the new incoming class of freshmen,  some have joined the graduating class of 2018 as well. Students have arrived from other school districts, some have returned from studying abroad, and some have even come from other countries.

The transition from one school to the next is rarely a smooth one.

“The biggest issue, I say, [would be] the change from semester to trimester… it’s just a lot faster paced,” senior Tiffany Cortel said. She recently transferred from Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, which utilizes the slower-paced semester calendar like the majority of high schools.

Benjamin Trust, a senior who left Sage Creek during his junior year to study abroad in Germany, is also struggling to re-adjust.

“Going there was really strange because I had to get used to the new system. And then coming back was also really strange because I was used to doing things that way and then I came back and it’s like ‘oh, now I have to do it the way that I used to do it,’” he said.

But besides adjusting to the unconventional trimester system, there is always the struggle of meeting and making new acquaintances and friends. “I miss my friends… the community. I miss the fact that when a teacher was sick, there was no substitute because they had a shortage of substitutes. So when a teacher is sick, they just cancel the class,” Trust said.

“I miss knowing everybody. I miss knowing my teachers… more personally. I’m sure I’ll get some of the same feelings here, but it’s harder because [there are] more people and I only have my teachers for one tri,” said senior Hayden Knutson, who transferred from Quality Schools International in China.

And yet these three students have persisted and continued to adapt to their new unforgiving yet welcoming environment.

“I’m realizing I’m already pretty much picking it up. Like it’s not something like a giant change… I just really have to manage my time more… it’s a new school. It’s always going to be tough,” Cortel said.

“Everyone here is really nice,” Knutson commented. “Everyone I’ve talked to is really nice, people are generally pretty outgoing… they’ll easily invite you to go and do something with them, maybe that’s a little bit different from my school.”

Remember what your first time in Sage Creek was like? Everyone has different stories to tell and different adventures to discover, and having so many diverse fates meet through the struggles and adventures of Sage Creek High School is what keeps the Bobcat nation together.