Standing on the stage she can’t help but feel a little out of place. This is not the stage she’s used to and is most certainly not the stage she wants to be on.

English teacher JoAnn Galluzzi was never one to participate in a beauty contest, as her
experience on stage was limited to musicals and plays she performed for her all girl school, Good Counsel College Preparatory.

Looking back on her high school life, the beauty pageant she was forced into was certainly a memorable time. Her experiences on stage and in the class with the people that were closest to her heart are experiences she’ll never forget.

In comparison, an experience a student might have today could be very different from an experience a teacher had.

High school has definitely changed from the difference in classes to the changes in the world and what students have access to.

“I think the amount of pressure there is for students to go to college is much higher, but I think it’s a good thing,” Galluzzi said.

When preparing for college, Galluzzi stated that her school made her very sure of the fact she needed to go to college.

“There wasn’t even a question that I was going to college. The question was where I would go,” she said.

However, many people that she knew from other schools did not have the same ideas. Some of her friends did not go to college, and there was not as much pressure to go.

Many changes have been made with the way schools work as well. “There weren’t many chances for girls to compete on competitive sports teams,” said librarian Cynthia Karabush.

The ideas on what girls can wear now are very different. The rule of only being able to wear dresses and skirts has changed drastically, but the thought that there was no chance to play competitive sports in an ordinary public school especially since many girls nowadays participate in not one but two sports.

“I am involved in basketball and tennis and also a few clubs,” said junior Marissa Krebs.

The attitude at schools are very different than before. Student life was very different than it is now. Many students refuse to even make a sound in class, but standing up to answer a question sounds like a custom that is pretty out of our world.

“Believe it or not, we had to stand up to answer a teacher’s question and respect was very important,” Galluzzi said.

High school has changed the classes and the influence it has in our lives. The changes that are made in high schools are an accurate representation of the changes in something as big as the world on a much smaller scale.