est Jefferson Hills
WE ST J EF FE RSO N HI L L S SC H OOL DI STR IC T NE WS — T H O MA S J E FFE RS O N H IGH SC HOOL
welcome
back!
Thomas
Jefferson
High School
CHRIS SEFCHECK,
PRINCIPAL
Pleasant
It’s hard to believe the summer
months have gone by so quickly.
Hopefully, all of our students (and
parents) had an opportunity to
rest and relax before the start of a
new school year. I want to thank
our custodial and maintenance
crews who worked tirelessly over
the summer to make sure Pleasant
Hills Middle School is ready for a
brand new school year. They do a
fantastic job!
Welcome Back!
The once empty halls of Thomas Jefferson High School are now filled with
sounds of shuffling feet, friends exchanging long-awaited greetings, and the
groans of waking up early to new responsibilities. All joking aside, so much
energy and excitement has been building over the course of the summer to a
boiling point we call day one.
How can you not love high school? Band and cheer camps, open gyms for
basketball/volleyball, and heat acclimation practice for football fills the school
grounds with dozens of kids. Tennis rackets could be heard in the background
while groups of runners stream through our empty parking lots trying to avoid
the soccer players running to the bleachers. If you can’t tell, I am thoroughly
excited for the start of this school year - after all of our kids have returned.
Each new school year brings challenges, experiences, and accomplishments
that begin to shape life after high school. Most teenagers have already formed
their lifelong personality, although their frames begin to take a different
look. Combine this with the assimilation of new experiences and conceptual
knowledge and you have a young adult preparing for the future.
No one knows what the future holds; you can only do your best to prepare for
it. The best way to do this is to put your heart and effort into doing the best
you can to succeed in class. Take the time to ensure you grasp and understand
what is being taught. After all, you alone are responsible for learning. Just as
teachers are responsible for teaching, you must seize every opportunity to take
advantage of what they are offering.
Don’t come to school every day and feel that you HAVE to be here. Take an active
role in getting involved in things you love to do so that you WANT to be here.
If you can’t find your niche in what we offer, approach the administration with
your thoughts and ideas. We always have an open ear for what we can do better.
Four years of high school are a microcosm of your life and will be over before you
know it. Take it all in, enjoy the ride, and be a part of something great. I challenge
anyone reading this to do something, anything, to continue to build on the great
traditions at TJ. The potential of our students, faculty, and community has not
even scratched the surface of what we are capable of doing. Good luck!
46 West Jefferson Hills
The 2016-17 school year
looks to be another year full of
opportunity for our students. Here
are a couple items to bring to your
attention:
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