Our campus, once devoid of activity, was abuzz with excitement last Tuesday as hundreds of students poured in through its front doors for Student Orientation Day. After a long year and a half of online learning for many, Titans were eager to meet their classmates and teachers in person, some for the very first time. 

The earliest batch to set foot on campus that morning were rightfully the seniors, who were invited to the Seniors Breakfast before the usual registration day schedule of picture taking, ID collection and textbooks pick-up. “I was so overjoyed to see my friends and felt so grateful that I could come back and experience the first day exhilaration with them one more time,” Sophia Lee (12) said.

Achieving another first for the annals of SMHS were the Link Crew leaders who pulled off not one, but two separate Link Crew Orientations that day – for the Freshmen, and also the Sophomore class, who had missed theirs last year. Sophomore Megan Choa is entering her second year of high school but has never navigated the hallways of SMHS before. “To be honest, returning to school made me a bit anxious after a year online,” she said. To quell the worries of the freshmen and sophomores, Link Crew leaders stepped up to help. Consisting of experienced upperclassmen, the team extended a warm welcome and eased the younger students into their new year. Choa expressed her gratitude toward the many helping hands. “I felt a lot better after the orientation because my Link Crew leaders were kind and very detailed in our tour,” she said. 

Despite the soaring temperatures and the snaking queues, it was clear from the faces of everyone on campus that morning (despite the mandatory masks) that the return to campus was a welcome change for all. Christopher Jang, an incoming junior, was all smiles. “To be back to a ‘normal’ school year was exciting as I finally got to see my friends and teachers again. Seeing my friends was certainly the best part of coming back to school,” he said. Neil Chen, another junior, agreed. “I was excited to see everyone because I haven’t seen a lot of my friends in a while. In-person school is a lot different from online, but I think people are adjusting well!” Chen said.