I never thought this day would come, but before I knew it, the date was January 3, 2022. It was my first day of school at Stanley Clark. I will never forget this day because of how special it was. What made it especially unusual was that I moved in the middle of seventh grade, which, I believe, is one of the most difficult times to move schools. I remember that as I walked in, I went to my locker for the first time and saw a girl around my age. It was Selin, someone who was in my advisory class at the time. She introduced herself by shaking my hand and saying, "Hi, I'm Selin!" This surprised me and was the first (and definitely not the last) time I shared a laugh at Clark. Many of my other classmates introduced themselves to me, and with every minute that passed, I felt more welcome there. 

When I first got to Clark, though, I was very overwhelmed. Other than moving to a new school, I wondered what people would think of me. Once I settled into Clark, I realized I shouldn't have worried. Everyone at Clark went out of their way to be kind to me. For example, when it was time for lunch, I barely knew anyone and didn't know where to go. That is when I met Angelica and Ashley, who were kind enough to guide me to lunch and let me sit with them. Even a small act of kindness like this really helped my transition to Clark. This was also because there weren't really "groups."

Now, at my old school, everyone was separated into different groups - the social group, the sports group, the art group, and many more. You had to choose one group and stay with them your whole time at that school. It was extremely hard to fit in there. At Stanley Clark, though, these groups are blended together. At Clark, you aren't just in one group but the whole grade level. Because everyone is so friendly, you can talk with them about anything you could imagine, and it would be normal. Now that I am at Clark, I feel like a better version of myself and am more comfortable opening up around new people.

I honestly think that if I hadn't gone to Stanley Clark, I wouldn't be where I am today. This school has brought amazing opportunities and social benefits to me and everyone around me. I am just very thankful that everyone went out of their way to be kind to me on my first day of school at Stanley Clark.