I remember how I felt as I began my freshman year at New Castle High School in 2017. I was incredibly nervous. I had gotten through middle school just fine, but this daunting challenge of high school made me anxious. This building, three floors filled to the brim with classrooms and hallways with fluorescent lighting, was the beginning of the next chapter of my life. I did not know what to expect when I walked through the main office doors on the first day of school that year.
Safe to say, the past four years of my life have been a great journey as I, along with my classmates and peers, matured and improved as people.
Over the past four years, my respect for New Castle High School, its students, teachers, and administrators has only grown stronger. The staff is genuinely committed to a strong learning experience for every student. The teachers that I have had the privilege of being in their classes have been exceptional. The care that they take into their work and their passion for their profession is something that I can only hope to replicate as I grow older.
I look up to the teachers that have populated the hallways of NCHS the past few years. They have been such a positive influence on me and have helped me in many ways as I have continued to improve on myself. The teachers have stood by my side, being cheerleaders as I tackled my academic and extracurricular duties.
The culture of NCHS is one of a tight knit community. I have been honored to have a phenomenal support system of teachers, fellow students, and administrators over the past four years. Thanks to them, I have seen the best in myself, my confidence has grown, and I have been able to embark on new adventures that I could not have seen myself doing entering high school.
My fellow classmates have been an integral part of my high school experience. Even though they have driven me slightly mad sometimes, my classmates have definitely made a positive experience out of high school. The youthful joy that I see in the Trojans of New Castle High School is one that I hope continues to grow.
I am honored to be a part of the Class of 2021, a class filled to the brim with outstanding athletic and academic achievements. To be even considered with this great group of young adults is an honor. Looking through the accomplishments members of this class has had; 2x Spirit Week winners, 3x state champions in volleyball (and for almost two months, number one in the nation), multiple state qualifiers, the first Trojan football team to advance to the sectional championship game, the unlikeliest sectional championship for our boys basketball program, it is safe to say that this class will be looked up to with great prestige and honor in the coming years.
I have grown such a deep emotional connection to this school and the people inside it. It is very hard to put into words the positive impact that they have had on my life and how their support has made me a better person. You helped me find who I am and realize to not change for anyone. The support that you have given me gives me the energy to push on.
Words cannot begin to comprehend how grateful I am for the past few years of my life. I have cherished so many memories that I will hold near and dear to me. I have been extremely honored and humbled to have earned the respect of my peers, teachers, and administrators the past few years. At the end of the day, I hope that I have made a positive impact in one person’s life.
To everyone at NCHS: keep on being the great people that you are. Enjoy these memories. Time flies and soon, you will be graduating too.
I appreciate you all, so much.
Thank you Trojan Country,
Grayson Joslin
