WW-P North’s senior class is a peerless group

The new school now has its first graduating class.

By: Gwen Runkle
   The first day of school at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North on Thursday marked more than just the beginning of another school year — this is the first year the school has a senior class.
   And surrounded by hallways decked out with pillars of balloons and colorful signs celebrating the occasion, some seniors expressed a host of mixed emotions about being a part of the first senior class.
   "It’s weird seeing all the signs that say ‘Welcome Seniors’ and having people come up and congratulate me on being a senior," said Sarah Averbach, 17, who plays field hockey and runs track. "It hasn’t totally sunk in yet."
   "For me, becoming a senior doesn’t feel any different," said senior Lauren Galietti, 17, who plays lacrosse and is the manager of the school’s radio station. "I’m excited but we’ve always been the oldest class, so this doesn’t feel much different than the other years."
   Jay Shuka, 17 — another senior who is in the marching band, plays tennis and is a member of the National Honor Society — agreed.
   "The fact that we did not see a senior class leave ahead of us has something to do with it, too," he said. "It mostly feels like just another normal year."
   "But I’m sure it will kick in as the year goes on though," added Arnab Datta, 17, who is a member of the marching band and former Student Council president.
   "This year is definitely groundbreaking and will be a lot of fun," he added.
   The four students, who are members of the peer leaders program, sat down for an interview Wednesday, the day before classes began.
   The new seniors said they can’t wait for upcoming events like the senior trip, the music program’s trip to London, the prom and homecoming. They said they are also proud to be leaving behind a legacy of firsts.
   From sports teams and music groups to clubs and student council, "We’ve had to start it all," Jay said.
   "And it has been tough being the first class to do everything," Arnab said. "We had no role models, no upper-class to look to for guidance."
   "But it had to start somewhere," Lauren added.
   It all started when West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North opened in 1997. For the 1997-1998 school year, the district’s ninth-grade students attended High School North. The following year, ninth- and 10th-grade classes were split between High School North and High School South. Last school year, 11th-graders were added to the mix at High School North.
   "When we started out, a lot of people didn’t want to come here," Jay said. "South was already established and people thought it would be easier to fit in there.
   "But sophomore year we got our own mascot and school colors, which helped everyone find school spirit and take a sense of pride in the school," he added.
   "Starting traditions, such as junior prom and homecoming, for the school has really brought the senior class closer together," said Sarah. "It’s really going to be hard to say goodbye to everybody. I don’t want to leave."
   Lauren and Arnab also said they are sad about this year being the end of their high school careers.
   "I don’t want to think of graduation," Lauren said. "I feel like I was a freshman yesterday."
   "I could do without the classes, but I love this building," Arnab added.
   Jay, on the other hand, said he is ready to move onto bigger and better things, like college.
   "Don’t get me wrong, I like it here, but I can’t wait for the year to end," he said.
   But the seniors all agreed that now they are being looked at as the role models for their underclassmen.
   "As a class, we have to be a class of leaders," said Arnab. "Everyone has a really big responsibility to lead the way."
   Sarah added, "My brother is a freshman this year and I’ve overheard him talking to his friends about how cool high school is going to be and about the upperclassmen. They look up to us. It hit me then that now North is actually a high school."