Alumnus Cece Tesch (class of 2015) reflects on what being a NHS high school student more than four years ago.

Involved in many activities like showchoir, softball, powerlifting, choir, band and LAUNCH; Cece knows how it feels to be apart of both sports and music.

The divide between sports and music students in high school is stronger than what Cece observes now.

Sports kids dating music kids never happens.  Cliches dominate.

“If you switched (cliches), you could never go back. If you were in both, you got judged.”

After Cece finishes powerlifting practice, she gets ready for a showchoir dress rehearsal — walking out with her hair and makeup done — in her sparkly green dress. Cece walks passed the weightroom and jaws drop.

From this point, she gets teased at powerlifting.

But as a female, she recalls that two of her male friends also in showchoir and powerlifting get ridiculed even more.

Sports kids and music kids are not to mix!

Another observable difference is the technology. 

She witnesses teachers fighting over the computer labs.  Classes struggle to gain access to labs. Cece lacks the empowerment of technology — no digital connections — without Chromebooks.   

Everything is paper and pencil.      

Getting close to senior year, Cece feels the pressure of college. If Cece didn’t want to go, she’s labeled “not cool.”  If she wanted to go, a huge weight exists on her shoulders.

She believes:  “College is everyone’s dream.”  

Cece wishes for less pressure. 

She watches students struggle under the weight of the expectations. 

She fears that the pressure is even greater now.

Reflection promotes growth.

Although Cece is teased for combining music and sport, didn’t have technology, and feels weighed down by college on her shoulders, she remembers high school as a place she made friends and memories that she will never forget.