Transitioning: one step at a time…

Transferring to a new high school during your senior year isn’t anyone’s cup of tea. Especially if you have been growing up in a different town most of your high school years.

My name is Ebony-Serena Muentes, but I prefer Ebony. I’m the new girl. I moved to East Quogue in November and transferred to Westhampton Beach High School in December. I’m actually used to moving around a lot. I’ve moved from Queens to Manhattan to Rocky Point to Hicksville and now to East Quogue, and have been to seven different schools. Although there aren’t many differences between East Quogue and Hicksville, there are numerous differences between Hicksville High School and Westhampton Beach High School.

For starters, Hicksville is a very big school. Hicksville has more students attending their high school with a difference of 600, more or less. Hicksville’s school day starts at 7:40 am and ends at 2:25 pm. The first day at Hicksville I was lost and made it late to every class. Here at Westhampton Beach the classes are easy to find, which I prefer.

Westhampton is also cleaner than Hicksville, where bathrooms are rarely cleaned and there is always someone’s sock in the hallway.

Another thing that I took notice of was that Hicksville is more culturally diverse. The percent of caucasians in Westhampton Beach is 78%, whereas it’s 43% in Hicksville.

When I came to Westhampton Beach for my first day of classes my guidance counselor, Mrs. Minnear, had to create a schedule that was just right for me. I noticed that there weren’t many classes to choose from. For example, I was taking classes like AP Environmental Science, Roots of Oppression, and Survival Fine Arts which are classes I am not offered here, probably due to the smaller school size.

Personally, I know that as a student that has been attending the same school for years we wouldn’t find our high school fun or exciting as it once was, but I really enjoy it here at Westhampton Beach High School. When I think of Westhampton Beach I think high class, which is what I see when I come to school.

As I took my first step into the school building, I immediately felt like I was going to be a part of a friendly environment, but most importantly, I felt safe.

Making friends was really easy, which I thought was going to be the hardest part of my transfer, but my peers were very nice to me. I made a bunch of friends and all I had to do was be myself.

Changing schools is a hard step but it’s not impossible to overcome.  I look forward to continuing my journey here at Westhampton Beach and walking across the stage getting my diploma I’ve been working hard for.