Moving for the first time is scary, to say the least.  Ask anyone who’s moved, and you’ll find the same answer.  It’s even scarier though, when moving from a small town, to a big city. Although most wouldn’t classify Key West High School (KWHS) as ‘big,’ I certainly do.

The similarities between a small Midwestern school in Lenox, Iowa, and a big school in Key West, Florida are few.  I’ve thought on my own experiences, and here’s a few I came up with.  The pledge of allegiance is done in one of the classes, though which class differs.  Although my old school offered less, there was almost always something, for everyone, much like this school.  Both schools offer modes of transportation, communication, and lunch to those who need it.  The bell schedule is similar too, with only a few key differences.

Since the similarities were few, there were a variety of differences I could spot.  Starting with the smallest difference, the sound of the bell is completely different from my old school, which could have been anticipated, but it threw me for a loop.  There are also a lot more classes at KWHS.  The diversity in student life here is also much larger. 

In addition, some of the major differences between my small school in Lenox and the huge halls of KWHS are quite noticeable to the naked eye. My old school only had one floor, and the elementary, junior high, and senior high all resided in the same building.  Speaking of junior high, the high school teachers taught junior high classes as well.  At my old school, the graduating  class had around 25-30 students, and since it was such a small school, everyone knew everyone.  That’s led to some weird meetings in the past.  The sports jocks had a lot more flexibility at my old school, meaning a lot of kids that played sports could also be in band and vocal.  KWHS is a lot warmer, and a lot more humid.  My entire hometown is only bigger than KWHS by 196 people!  The biggest difference I’ve experienced, has been that I can’t drive myself to school anymore.  In my home state of Iowa, you got a school permit, meaning you could drive yourself to school, completely alone(and I was only fourteen and a half)!

Although there are many differences between my old school and KWHS, both are amazing schools and I can’t pick one school over the other.  I wanted to share with you how different schools can be, and how adjusting to the differences takes time. If you know someone who has just moved, be kind to them and help them if needed