North High ready to rock the school year
Did summer really go that quickly?
It only seems like yesterday graduates were throwing their mortarboards in the air. But Monday brings the start of another school year at North Fort Myers High School and every school in Lee County.
At North, nearly 450 freshmen will begin their high school careers, while seniors will count the days before it’s their turn to walk the aisle.
The school had several events this past week and several more this week to help make the transition back to school a little smoother for students and teachers.
It also comes into the new year with more accolades.
“We’ve been ramping up getting ready for next week (teachers returned Monday), planning the week and our focus and what can we improve on for this year,” said Matt Mederios, North principal. “We need to make sure the teachers and staff are ready.”
For the first time, North will hold an open house on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m., as opposed to Saturday morning as it was in the past.
“Our teachers decided they did not want to come in on a Saturday, but do it during the school week. It works out great. It gives students and parents a chance to meet with the teachers and see the classrooms,” Mederios said.
While students of all classes come, the majority are the incoming freshmen who want to meet the teachers and see the lay of the land, Mederios said.
Many of the students have been back at it for weeks. Fall sports began practice at the beginning of the month as well as band. Senior formal pictures were done two weeks ago, and last week the students had an opportunity to get a jump on the school year with prep day.
“Our students got to come in and get their textbooks, choose their lockers, get a lock and a parking permit,” Mederios said. “It’s less stuff they have to worry about once the year begins, which allows us to worry about education. They don’t have to waste a week getting everything done.”
On Thursday, there was a freshmen camp where the new students came in to spend the morning learning about the culture and tradition at the school and to become oriented with where everything is.
“They learn about our expectations of them and what to expect in an informal setting. It lets them get familiar with things and us to get them comfortable with the transition from middle school to high school,” Mederios said.
All seemingly forgotten in the rush is that North has been named one of the most challenging high schools in the country by the Washington Post and the most challenging in Lee County.
North was ranked 111th in the nation, ahead of Fort Myers, which ranked 179. The newspaper looked at their curriculum and offerings of rigorous, college-level courses that prepare students for success at the post-secondary level.
“We were honored by that. Obviously the Cambridge AICE Program played a big role in that, as did the advanced placement classes we offer and the dual enrollment,” Mederios said. “Our students have access to these academic programs and they’re very rigorous.”