IN West Jefferson Hills Spring 2016 | Page 48

Blink great friend once told me that each school year seems to go faster as the years go by. She put it quite simply as a matter of perspective; if you can imagine a whole pie representing the entirety of your life with each slice representing a year, you have to slice each piece thinner than the piece before in order to get all the years into one pie. Each year of your life works the same way; each piece seems to get thinner and thinner. We are quickly approaching another end of a school year, and in the blink of an eye, it will be the start of another. Each class that passes through the hallways of Thomas Jefferson represents a different flavor. Sure, many of the ingredients are the same, but the flavors have changed. Many of you reading this article may be a graduate of TJ and can recall est Jefferson Hills WE ST J E FFE RSO N H IL L S SC HO O L DI ST RIC T NE WS — T H O MAS J E FFE RS O N H IGH SC HOOL A By Mr. Chris Sefcheck Principal, Thomas Jefferson High School 46 West Jefferson Hills fond memories of your time walking to and from class in the drab green hallways. Maybe you are even lucky enough to recall specific rooms you had classes in. For most, your memories curtail a time when friendships meant everything and grades were your paycheck. To this day, many of you maintain the same friendships. Times haven’t changed all that much, have they? Unequivocally, most kids do care about their grades and question what they need to do to open doors after high school. They still care about their friends and cherish time spent collaborating on assignments. The formula for opening doors is simple, and believe it or not, you learned how to do it when you first entered school back when you were five. Adults, please help me with this! High school goes by in the blink of an eye. It’s such a miniscule amount of time spent in an environment aimed at preparing you for the rest of your lives. I know, I know… A lot of life’s lessons occur “on the job” through learning experiences after the arduous four years of high school. But, you know what? Four years of high school are important. This small piece of pie called high school has a lasting impact in the development of your cognitive abilities. These times are important in laying the groundwork for future endeavors. I’m not just talking about p