By Anthony Macias
When I first arrived at San Marin High School at the beginning of my junior year, I didn’t know what to expect. As a former Novato High School Hornet, I was both nervous and optimistic about becoming a Mustang. Yet after meeting the staff, getting acquainted with old friends from middle school, and adapting to the culture, I realized that the two schools aren’t so different after all. Saying that, there are aspects about San Marin that make me happy I transferred.
Even as hundreds of kids flood the campus during passing periods, break, and lunch you can still tell how beautiful and serene San Marin’s campus is. Although Novato’s campus has its perks, the slender hallways and classroom layout lead to student traffic jams between classes. Sophomore year going from History to Math, crossing nearly the entire campus, I found it difficult to arrive on time. San Marin’s expansive, central courtyard allows for easy access from class to class, even with some extra elbow room.
Another perk San Marin has to offer is its colorful and helpful staff. I transferred from Novato a week into the school year, making me nervous that I was already behind the students who had started on time. All my doubts were gone as soon as I was greeted by my counselor and she told me not to worry. My teachers were just as nice, giving me all the time I needed to make up any work I had missed. Through- out my short attendance at San Marin I have noticed a common trend of teachers who truly care about student’s well-being and education. I’ve had my fair share of teachers I don’t get along with, as I’m sure all students have, but at San Marin I see many teachers who are appreciated and respected around campus in- stead of despised and ignored.
As much as I am finding I enjoy San Marin, there are some aspects of Novato High that I miss and would love to see incorporated into our school. In particular, Novato does an excellent job of pro- viding many activities for the entire student body to enjoy together. If it were barbeques on the lawn, class charity competitions, or the many spirit days, you always felt included in the Hornet community. These activities make students at Novato High feel as if they are part of a family. San Marin students and leadership could learn from some of Novato’s successes by making activities like these more frequent for their students. Last year when I watched a San Marin rally as a Hornet in leadership looking for new ideas to improve the school, I noticed lots of booing and aggression between the classes. So much so that staff and students apologized to me and my fellow visiting classmates for what we saw. Although competition is encouraged at rallies, this level of aggression didn’t showcase the sense of com- munity that is normally advocated at schools. These are a few things that could help with school spirit and strengthen the Mustang community so nothing like that happens again.
Since most have only attended one high school, some perks San Marin has to offer may be taken advantage of or not appreciated every day. As a student who has never liked to conform to education I can truly stay I was pleasantly surprised with San Marin High. When choosing a school a student might ask him/herself many questions: Am I going to like my classes? Are the teachers and staff nice? What are the sports teams like? Do they have classes and pro- grams that interest me? Take it from a student who has attended another high school and seen a different perspective, San Marin truly has it all.
