By:Giselle Kuang, Staff Writer
As staff writers for The Thunderbolt, we have decided to gather our own personal perspective of Mills. Each of the four of us have had a unique experience here at Mills and we have compiled our thoughts about Mills High School.
Rowe Eis, Freshman: Just like any first day of school, I was very overwhelmed and anxious on the first day of high school. However, from the first time I stepped into Mills until now, the Mills staff and community has been very welcoming and supportive. Fortunately, I went to Taylor Middle School, so I already knew the majority of people at Mills, including other lower and upper classmen. Although Mills is a welcoming and kind school, I dread coming to school, just like the majority of other students. Some of that dreadfulness is from the amount of stress I get from tests, homework, and grades. On most days, teachers give a reasonable amount of homework by limiting the workload for students. However, I have noticed that most teachers assign the most homework on the same day, which adds to the stress. I think Mills is different from other schools because the percentage of Asian people is much higher and we are more academically competitive compared to other public schools. Compared to the demographics of the rest of the country, it almost sounds strange to say that, I, a white female, is the minority at Mills with a 59.3% Asian population. Diversity is showing a great deal of variety, but, if the majority of Mills is of the same nationality, that means Mills is not diverse.
Victoria Ratto, Freshman:
It certainly wasn’t easy for me being a new student at school that was new to the area. After transferring districts to start my high school, I was forced to enter an environment where I did not know anyone else. I was anxious and terrified to see what the future had in store for me, as I did not know what to expect. As soon as I stepped into Mills, I felt a relief while meeting all the staff and students, who were so welcoming and joyful. Everyone here was so spirited and genuinely supportive towards my academics and general well-being. Although I came into school not knowing anybody, since all my friends were back in the SF area, the students at Mills were so nice, so making friends wasn’t one of my worries anymore. As for education the teachers are so helpful and understand the stress of being a freshman. That they try to do as much as they can to help the students fully comprehend everything but a lot of stress still comes with the amount of homework given because of all our other classes combined as well. As far as diversity goes at Mills, the large majorities are Asian (59%), Hispanic (17%), and White (14%). Although this might not seem like the most diverse demographics, ethnicity does not cause any differences between students. At the end of the day, we are all just trying to get through high school together.
Giselle Kuang, Junior: Mills is a very welcoming community that makes me feel happy to be here because of all the accepting students and staff. I remember my first day of school being a lot less intimidating than I thought it would be. The orientation given to new students before school starts shows how much effort Mills makes to welcome its students. Mills stands out as a school with great and enthusiastic students. With varying personalities, there are also many different ethnicities that show some diversity at Mills.The demographic of Mills show that the majority of the school is Asian, but there are also many other ethnicities as well. I do not believe that ethnicity should really affect the environment of school. After all, race does not affect the friendships that a person can form at this school. Junior year is more hectic than previous years, due to an expectation to excel more in classes, along with a pressure to study for the SAT. While I have noticed that many Juniors are taking multiple AP classes, I am not sure if those classes are worth the stress.
Andrea Haro, Junior:
Since the beginning of my high school career, Mills has been a hectic ride. My first day of high school was scary, since I did not know what to expect. However, the school itself was very welcoming, and the teachers were friendly enough. Sophomore year was the complete opposite: the first day of school was overall ‘Let’s get this thing over with’. And this year, the first day of school was more like ‘Thank God! I’m almost done with high school!’ As compared to my miserable 3 years in middle school, high school was a semi-fresh start, a clean slate; new people, new teachers and new opportunities. To me, high school was like the light at the end of the tunnel that was full of mysteries with bright and exciting opportunities. The school itself is very welcoming, the staff is always trying to do its’ best to teach and help their students, while our fellow peers are as nice and helpful as they can get… Junior year has by far been the easiest year out of the three. Regardless of the AP classes and all the standardized tests, it feels like teachers and staff are testing our strengths and weaknesses, but not in a bad way. Classes are slightly harder than the past two years but the teachers have their curriculum set up, so it’s challenging yet fun and rewarding at the same time.
