Activities heat up as school begins anew in Hewlett-Woodmere

School is back in session and students eagerly prepared by updating closets, organizing supplies and planning for the upcoming months. Like any other year, the first few weeks of school were accompanied by a bittersweet feeling.

Students entered the halls nostalgic for the summer months, yet excited to reunite with others. With many activities to get ready for, various clubs will be hosting their events and Student Council will be organizing for the homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 29, when the varsity football team will play the Plainedge Red Devils.

In the past each grade created a huge float to represent their class with its theme. However, this year there will be a transition from floats to banners. After Student Council thoroughly discussed this proposal, both administrators and students realized that the banners will be more environmentally friendly and less expensive. The overall theme for this year is International Cities.

The school’s newspaper, Spectrum, has worked on its first issue and Key Club will be hosting is annual events, such as the anticipated Halloween Trick-or-Treat, where students of all ages dress up and travel from classroom to classroom to gather candy.

Youth Leadership Forum had its first convention at the Woodmere Education Center on Sept. 23, where students from varying grades eagerly discussed plans for the anticipated Fall Harvest Festival. That event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 30 as a way to raise money for the Hewlett-Woodmere Endowment Fund in addition to bringing the community together. There will be fun and games for younger children and demonstrations on how to effectively start and take care of a garden, supported by the Cornell Cooperative.

While adjusting back to school, many students have been able to realize the recent spring budget vote’s effects. The sizes of certain classes are notably larger and some teachers are instructing courses that they did not last year. Many teachers, students and parents believe these changes will be burdensome, but hopefully they will work out.

It did not take long for students, especially juniors and seniors, to experience stressful times. It seems like our backpacks get heavier each week and our list of things to do accumulates overnight. The SAT was administered on Oct.1, which provided the chance for seniors to take the test again before applying to college. The PSAT will be given on Oct. 15 for juniors to get a sense of what is ahead of them.

The guidance office will be bombarded with college-bound seniors, working on their college applications. Recently many college representatives have visited the high school to inform and attract students. Some of these schools include the University of Pennsylvania, Colgate University, Brandeis University, Villanova University and Adelphi University.

There is truly never a dull moment at Hewlett High School. The summer will soon feel like a distant memory as we engage in our activities, focus on schoolwork and support our athletic teams. As the weather gets cooler and the leaves change colors, we will need to take out our sweatshirts and jackets again. But before we know it we will soon be given a well-deserved winter vacation.