For some students, the crowded hallway makes simply getting to class frustrating. One student, a freshman named Hunter Benge, described the experience by saying, “It’s terrible, it’s like I have to push through a football team.” The comparison shows just how difficult it can feel to move through the hallway when large groups of students are gathered together.

The problem is not necessarily that students are walking to class, but where and how they are stopping. When students stand in the middle of the hallway to talk with friends, they can block other students who are trying to get through.

One possible solution suggested by Junior student Makayla is for students to keep moving instead of standing in the middle of the hallway. She suggested that students could “walk and talk” rather than stopping in the middle of the hallway. This could help create more space for students who need to get to class.

Another possible solution would be to have students walk around the outside of the hallway rather than forming large groups in the center. This idea was inspired by how students were required to move through the middle school hallway in seventh grade.

Although crowded hallways are a normal part of a busy school day, small changes in how students move and interact could make a noticeable difference. Keeping the center of the hallway clear and continuing to move could make it easier for everyone to reach their next class on time.

Many students have opinions about the temperature in their school. For example Mia, a student at Carter High School, believes that the school should adjust them because some classrooms are either too cold or too hot. She thinks it can make the students uncomfortably shaky/shivering and distracted  during class. Mia also believes that having a more comfortable temperature would help students stay focused and learn better.

More opportunities to talk to students 

Ms.Rysewyk, a teacher at Carter High School, says changes can make a school better. She would like to have more opportunities to talk with students about their behavior and grades. Because it helps teachers understand what students need and how they  could help. And she believes that this could make students feel more comfortable in asking for help when they need it so they know that they can talk to their teacher.

Former graduates from decades past still remember their high school experience. 

Sherry Hill, Class of 1977, says that things are very different now then when she was in school. Sherry says “We had different credits then you guys, we only needed one year of math and science.”  Sherry met several people and learned a lot. She claimed she had overall good teachers. Sherry states “I still remember it like yesterday, sometimes it was hard and stressful but I will never forget my “Alma Mater.” Alma Mater was a song sang while she was in choir to represent Carter High School.

Donnie Hill, Sherry Hill’s husband, Class of 1973, says he remembers Carter having a lot less people then today. He says “when i went here there was no where near this much traffic, but I mostly walked to school too.” Donnie only lived a few minutes from the school so he just walked everyday. Donnie remembers going to meet his friends after school and hanging out. He states “After school it always felt nice to go hang out with a few of my buddy’s.”

Sherry and Donnie both have good memories of Carter High School. They even said the building hasn’t changed a bit from the outside. 

Multiple dual enrollment students at Carter High School have been facing technical difficulties, which impairs their academic success.

Dual enrollment provides in-person and online college classes exclusively to juniors and seniors at Carter High School. Students have an array of classes to chose from, mainly provided by Pellissippi and Tusculum, both local colleges. These college classes provide credits, if students pass, that are potentially transferable to other colleges or universities; however, logistical problems have inhibited multiple students from completing their coursework.

“I have to bring an old MacBook to school because my class requires a lockdown browser for tests that chromebooks prohibit,” said Abigail Lawson, a senior. However, she added, her computer can no longer connect to the school’s WiFi, leaving her unable to complete assignments at school. While she can use her chromebook to complete assignments, the prospect of teachers closing her tabs through Hapara, a monitoring program, deters her.

Senior Ally Randolph has also encountered issues with the school WiFi; however, unlike Abigail, her phone has a hotspot she can connect her MacBook to. Within three days she had already used eleven gigabytes of data, which is unsustainable for students who do not have unlimited data plans. Besides issues at Carter, Ally has also faced problems with her dual enrollment institution. She was enrolled in two duplicate English classes online, and believing it was a mistake, she completed assignments for only one class. Eventually, she was dropped from the class she completed work in, leaving her with missing assignments. She stated, “I had to redo the assignments since the teacher did not get in touch with me, and I had to take a late deduction to my grade.”

Following the trend of struggling seniors is Bernard Barton. Like his classmates, he is using dual enrollment to fulfill core class requirements, so impairment to completing assignments is detrimental to his ability to graduate on time. Bernard stated, “It took a good while before I was able to get into my account on MyLab so I could complete my assignments.” As aforementioned, the sign-up process for MyLab, a digital learning platform, took place on his personal computer.

While not all of these technicalities can be predicted, these seniors are predominantly upset at the lack of information they were given about dual enrollment, such as needing a personal device. They ultimately wish to bring awareness to the hidden requirements the courses impose on students.

Dr. Ufnar, an engineering teacher at Carter High School brings engaging learning to Carter High School. Before coming to Carter High School, he spent four years as an assistant professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, as well as doing carpentry and other things.

By combining his experience in science with construction from past experiences, teaching engineering was a natural fit. As Dr. Ufnar states: “Teaching science is not as much fun,” and “cause I can’t teach Geology, it’s next best thing.”

His classroom has large amounts of loud tools, including 3D printers, woodworking gear, computers, and CNC machines which nobody actually uses. Students get to build real projects every day. “Right now the freshmen are doing lego parts and the sophomores are doing Rube Goldberg machines,” he shares. For him, the real excitement comes from creating: “We get to develop new things in here, it’s different from other classes.”

While there are occasional problems like: “getting the equipment working, certain software” Dr. Ufnar does enjoy working through them alongside his students. “I really like the students at Carter, they’re mostly good kids, they’re fun to work with, a lot of kids are like how I was in high school.” As Kaden Mourer a junior stated: “He’s pretty cool.”

The final bell rings, but for some students, the school day isn’t really over. Tests still need to be studied for, assignments still need to be completed, and social problems can continue long after students leave the building. School can be a place for learning and growth, but it can also create pressures that affect students’ mental health.

Students experience different types of pressure throughout the school year. Grades, homework, tests, busy schedules, friendships and expectations about the future can all contribute to stress. While every student experiences these pressures differently, the effects can reach beyond the classroom and influence students’ sleep, motivation, relationships and overall well-being.

“I feel like there’s always something I have to worry about. Even when I finish one assignment, there’s already another test or project coming up,” said Emily Sloan, a junior at Carter High School.

For Emily, the constant expectations at school can make it difficult to feel completely relaxed. The pressure isn’t only about completing assignments, but also about feeling like they always have to keep up with everything happening around her.

Academic pressure can come from many different places. Students may worry about maintaining their grades, completing assignments on time, preparing for tests or meeting expectations for college and future careers. With multiple classes and responsibilities competing for their attention, students can sometimes feel as though there is not enough time to take care of themselves while also keeping up with school.

School pressure can also affect students outside of academics. Friendships, disagreements, social expectations and feeling left out can influence how students feel throughout the school day. These experiences can sometimes make an already stressful day feel even more overwhelming.

“Sometimes you don’t even realize how stressed you are until you finally get home and realize you don’t even want to do anything,” said Kailani Sheri, a junior at Carter High School.

For some students, the effects of school stress may not become noticeable until they leave campus. A stressful school day can affect a student’s energy, motivation and willingness to participate in activities outside of school.

The two students’ experiences show that student mental health can be affected by several parts of the school experience. Academic expectations and social interactions may look different from student to student, but both can contribute to the pressure students carry throughout their day.

Former CHS football players who graduated miss their high school football experience.

Everyone has different football experiences. Jeffery Lauderdale Class of 2026,  said “I miss the friendships I made and the sportsmanship I learned”. He says that “it taught me a lot about discipline and more about football.” Jeffery was in football for all four years of high school. He made many “brothers.” He states “It will always be a great memory to me.”  

Jake Boatman Class of 2026, an ex wide receiver for Carter football says “I loved my experience with football. I got to play with my younger brother which was very nice for us to share time together in a sport we both love.” Jake mostly misses football because now instead of playing with his brother, he is now watching him in the stands. He said “I miss it a lot but I’ll always be at the games to root for my brother and all the other friends I made.”

Jake and Jeffery both miss their football seasons. They both had good experiences and enjoyed playing with their other players. Jeffery states “I miss the friends that felt like brothers” and Jake said, “I miss the time when I was in the sport with my brother, playing along side of him”

The stadium crowd goes silent, the drum major raises their mace, and their 200 hearts beating at once. The band students beginning a new year are feeling stressed, excited, and nervous. During the summer rehearsals often start in the heat in July, running 8 to 12 hours a day outdoors. Marching while carrying heavy brass instruments, a 35 pound snare drum, or a sousaphone builds extreme leg core, back strength members rely on gallon water jugs, athletic shoes, sunscreen, flip folders for their sheet music. I talked to a band student named Jeremiah Rambo and he said playing music brings him a type of joy that nothing else does, and I wanted to try it anyway. When I first heard the music it scared me,it looked really hard and I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to play it. Now I realize it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was. Letter F is where we all struggled the most, it took us a bit to get the slowdown correct, after that i’d say the flow down at I, it goes from really fast to 72 bpm. Involves roughly 150 to 200 total students in the high school band across the broader band program, with a large general marching band and a focused competitive marching unit. Includes wind and brass players, battery and front ensemble percussion, and a colorguard Performs Pre-game and half time shows at football games. I interviewed this band student named Kayleigh Woolsey said she decided to join marching band because she wanted to follow her uncle footsteps it was a way to make friends learn new thing as a kid when i joined in 6th grade I didn’t really understand what I was becoming apart of and what I wanted to do but I grew a strong passion for it and helped me so much and let me branch out make new friends and now I”m captain and im a example and I’m giving back to new people I’m showing them than branching out and meeting new people is okay to do. My section supports each other when things get stressed by doing little things. Such as taking things off their plate like caring for each other. If someone doesn’t feel good they help each other by counting and knowing their music as they help each other out and communicate. When I first set drill I felt very overwhelmed and was wondering what I wanted to happen next wondering how I was going to make it to my spot in time and if I had to play my music or was the set just marching and not playing. Probably the transitions at the tempo change  its hard cause we move and also set the tempo for the band. If you step off at the wrong time someone gets hurt if you don’t play your part the band gets off so you always have to be prepared and on your toes about when the transition happens. Just being confident on the sets how many counts they are how far you go and how your music lines up with the drill and the band but It can be difficult you have to really decide at first what you want to fix do you want to fix the note or do you want to fix your marching you pick and then you fix it after you fix it you move on to the next thing you want to fix and then you pair them together and make sure they don’t clash and they work together that is how marching band works you learn your instrument and then you learn how they work then you pair them together and make them work together. 

Overdue alterations to the Carter High School library have created opportunities and drawbacks for students and faculty. Many of these changes are cosmetic, such as new carpet and furniture the district financed; however, some alter the utility of the library.

Misty Manire, the librarian, provided a potential limitation: “The biggest issue is the removal of crucial shelving for books.” Whether these shelves will be replaced is currently unknown, she added. When students are able to check out books, their selections will be limited due to this problem. Improving the quality of the library will benefit its visitors, but the potential cost is restricting reading material. Additionally, faculty are facing challenges within the library due to a new printer: rather than sending material to be printed, an individual must be present to operate the machine.

Students are also facing accessibility issues with printing, as the computers they used to do so were previously located in the library; now the computers have been distributed to a room called the computer lab. It remains locked, with exception to the days fine arts teacher Ashely Pipkin hosts class within. Access to those computers is a necessity for Ms. Pipkin, as her art students use them to upload pictures from their cameras and edit them. Ms. Pipkin acknowledges the convenience of having the computer lab for her classes, but she also realizes the solitary space can cause logistical problems: “When we would run into technology issues, I would call Mrs. Manire and she would take care of it, so now I don’t necessarily have that support.”