First day back for another school year

Tuesday September 2nd, 2008, can you think of a reason that date is significant?

I can, it marks the day of a new beginning for me. And not just for me. According to the Simcoe County District School Board, it was the day 4,300 Grade 9 students began high school for the first time.

At 5:50 a.m., I lay in bed wondering why my alarm is going off on a summer morning. Then it hits me, summer's over, schools back and I have to get ready!

A rush of excitement and nervousness came over me as I jumped out of bed. I gazed at the few outfits I'd purchased the week before and debated which one to wear. When I made my decision, I walked up the stairs and towards the bathroom mirror. There, I decided on a simple look, little make-up and straightening my recently cut hair. When I was confident my look would make a good first impression, I walked out of the bathroom and collected the school supplies I'd bought 2 days before. At 7:25 a.m. exactly, I ran out the door and towards the bus stop I'd been told to go to. When I got there, I saw some other high school students, but none I knew.

Soon, more started pouring in and eventually I saw some familiar faces. When the bus finally pulled up, I nervously found a seat beside someone who had an empty spot beside them. After the silent 10-minute bus ride, we pulled up to Innisdale Secondary School.

I stared at the long lines of people going through the doors, which made it seem a little more nerve wracking. Not sure where I was expected to go, I followed everyone else into the great hall, which was completely packed. That was no surprise to me since according to the website; Innisdale a population of 1,843. From there, I found my first class, gym, and waited for the teacher to arrive along with 25 other girls. When she arrived, we spent time getting to know each other, finding our lockers and eventually playing some basketball.

When the bell indicating the end-of-class rang, I rushed out to go get everything for my next class and realized I'd forgotten where my locker was! I looked around for someone I knew, but found no one.

Finally, I saw someone from my gym class who I followed and found my locker. The rest of the day was pretty simple. Believe it or not, I found all my classes and got there on time, thanks to the map I'd printed the night before.

At 2:35 p.m. the final bell rang, I ran out of my math class and towards my locker. After I'd collected everything, I walked down the hall wondering where I was supposed to meet the bus. looked around for someone knew and my eyes met with a friend from my elementary school.

I ran over to her, hoping she knew. She did and found my bus.

I rode the bus home thinking how thankful I was that the first day was over. Will I admit I was excited to go back?

Of course not! Let's just say, it was something I didn't mind doing.