New Students Adapting to Beaver Life

Sydney Gad '14 and Julia Rudyak '14

This new year has brought us many new students, and we have decided to interview one in particular. Noel Hoyt, a new sophomore this year at Beaver, moved here from Illinois this summer. We are interested in hearing about her experience at Beaver so far.

TBR: Was being a new student at Beaver challenging?
Noel Hoyt: At first I felt very out of place and lost but after branching out and making more friends I liked it a lot. The community at Beaver is very accepting.

TBR: Now that you have learned the Google system, do you prefer it over you old school?
NH: Yes, because I don’t have to worry about forgetting books that I need for homework and my notes are more organized.

TBR: Are you playing any sports or doing any plays?
NH: I have a waiver for crew in the fall, but I’m playing ice hockey in the winter, and I’m going to do the musical in the spring.

TBR: Was it challenging transitioning to a computer-based school from your old school?
NH: It was mostly hard figuring out how to share documents with teachers. But the teachers and students wre both helpful when it came to helping me.

TBR: What is your favorite subject so far, and why?
NH: Chemistry, because it’s the easiest to understand, and teachers really provide a lot of help on any issues or questions I have.

TBR: Would you recommend Beaver to others?
NH: Yes, because it has great facilities, challenging academics, and offers many groups, clubs, and activities for students to get involved in.

TBR: What’s been your favorite Beaver experience?
NH: Getting to know people and becoming a part of Beaver's community and learning in the new science wing.

TBR:  Do you think the school work is manageable?
NH: Yes. I think teachers give a fair amount of homework considering their students have after-school activities until 5:30, and if activities go later, students have a good amount of free time to get their homework done during the school day.
   
TBR: What do you think of the new facilities?
NH: I like how there’s a comfortable space for students to go when they don’t have class or want to do homework.

TBR: If you could change something about Beaver for new students, what would it be?
NH: I would’ve wanted someone to explain the Google system to me before the first day of school.

Overall, Beaver seems to be an easy transition for many of the new students. The only issue students have come across is the technology based learning system. Once you get used to it, the google system is a much more efficient and organized way of learning. It has become clear to everyone that Beaver’s diverse surroundings and friendly environment has been helpful to new students in becoming true Beaver Believers.