Among the rapid changes occurring in our community, the greatest change within the last month is Contra Costa County’s entrance into the orange tier! This progression has brought forth many exciting opportunities, the most thrilling of these being the hybrid return of students on campus at Northgate High School. The new schedule allows for students to choose between a two-hour block class on campus, or online, twice a week. Interactions between peers and teachers, which was once impossible due to the pandemic, now ring out across campus. The reopening of our campus in a hybrid dynamic also permits sports teams to begin their seasons. Students who participate in Football, Dance, Cheer, Cross Country, Sports Medicine, and many more may have had their season cut short, but were still able to make lifelong memories with their teammates.
Northgate’s campus teems with applications for classes, while ASB officer election buzz fills the air. Officer positions in Leadership, National Honors Society, California Scholarship Federation, and many more are available during this time of the year. Students can apply to be a Link Crew leader for the chance to guide freshmen through their first year of high school or audition for performing arts classes such as Northgate’s Choirs and Drama classes. With the swift arrival of AP tests in May, Northgate students have begun to prepare! Many tests are in a digital format, while others will be taken in person. The challenges that this year has presented have not caused the excellent work ethic of Northgate students to waver. We wish them the best of luck! As preparations amongst the freshman, sophomores, and juniors begin for the 2021-2022 school year, Northgate has not forgotten about its seniors! The class of 2021 may have been robbed of many opportunities to make memories within the last year, but ASB Leadership is coming to the rescue by hosting senior-centered activities on the 21st of every month to help make the most of the short time they have remaining on our campus.
Continuing our service projects to help those who are less fortunate, the Leadership class hosted a Homeless Shelter Drive in which over 500 items were donated. These items were donated to the Bay Area Rescue Mission in hopes of providing some members of our community with items they may be in need of. Make sure you keep an eye out for any Leadership-hosted fundraisers in the near future; these will be the last few before the end of the school year!
As our school year comes to an end, we reflect on some of our most memorable moments in online school, and eagerly look forward to what we have waiting for us in the next year. We may have not been able to take the long way across the school to say “hi” to our friends, nor were we able to laugh until our stomachs hurt at the lunch tables. However, that same Northgate spirit that led us to have all kinds of fun on campus is not diminished just because we are at home. Northgate High School’s unrelenting passion to make the best out of every situation has shone through in the smallest of situations, whether that be a giggle over Zoom when someone goofs off on their screen, or even the small conversations we have using the chat feature. Northgate High students, thank you for all of the memories this year; we cannot wait to see you back on campus next year!
By Prapti Pradhan and Harshada Sharma, Northgate High School Students