Every year, FWPA welcomes new transfer students from other schools. Many new students enjoy the opportunity to learn at a college prep choice school, and see all of the possibilities that FWPA has for them both educationally, and as individuals. New teachers, such as Mr. Sagastizado, also appreciate how the FWPA community has welcomed them. Those who are new share their reasons for why they are excited to be at FWPA this year.
“I’ve been teaching for almost 30 years. A few reasons as to why I’m a teacher are because I like to share my language with people, as well as my talents, which are both Spanish and art. Another reason is because my grandmother was a teacher, and six of my uncles taught as well, which was my inspiration to teach. This school is one thousand times better than my former schools, mainly regarding behavior, and my new students have a better grasp on the language. I can tell that they are genuinely excited to learn, and that’s the reason why they’re here,” Mr. Sagastizado expressed. He shared that FWPA has welcomed him with open arms, and that he really enjoys the school.
Itzel Zotea shared how her experience at FWPA is going so far, as well as how FWPA and her old school compare. “I transferred here from a private school. I like FWPA because it’s easier here regarding homework. Plus, the people are nice here, and this school’s much more inclusive and culturally sensitive than my old school. Something I wish was different here is if there were sports, specifically sports teams, and an actual gym so that we could be more active throughout the day,” said Itzel.
Joshua Bowman, a new 6th grader at FWPA, shared his feelings about becoming a middle schooler this year. “It hasn’t been hard for me; it’s just been different because it is different. I’m learning a lot of new things, and there’s more homework than I expected there to be. But I like the education and academics. [My teachers] teach me a lot of things and help me understand their lessons clearly,” he explained. Joshua stated that he’s glad he came to FWPA because he’s met new teachers and made new friends who welcome him.
Suri Kern, on the other hand, has been at FWPA for five years and reflects on another change of schools: leaving FWPA next year. “My inspiration for joining ASB and becoming the class president was the former ASB presidents and reps. I saw how much they contributed to the school and I wanted to be a part of that to make changes and share my ideas with FWPA. It really hit me that this will be my last year at FWPA, and whenever I find myself thinking about it, I get kind of sad. I am excited to leave for a new chance of scenery, since I’ve been here for so many years, but it’s bittersweet because I’ll also be leaving my friends and the strong community at FWPA that I really like.” Suri explained that her overall experience at FWPA has been good because of the community including the teachers, ASB, and her friends. However, she wishes she could meet new people and feels that’s more difficult to do so when being in a higher grade level.
In the end, many students and teachers have shared that they’ve had mainly positive experiences here at FWPA. This shows that FWPA has treated them well and have made them feel welcome. While there are things FWPA should work on, there are also many things that the students and staff have been successful in including in our school.
