This year, GHS has its first senior class. The class of 22 is the very first class to graduate from our school since there was no senior class last year. Gainesville High School opened last year with only freshmen, sophomores and juniors attending. Without a graduating class, we didn’t have as many students. Although, along with more students, comes more excitement. Especially when it comes to graduation. 

Seniors are looking forward to the end of their high school days, including Menna Helal, a 12th grader here at GHS. “I have very bad senioritis,” Helal says, “and just really want to graduate.” Menna has attended Gainesville since last year and is now taking AP Biology as her elective. She is hoping to attend the University of Virginia next year, to continue to study Biology. 

College applications are usually due the winter before classes start, and as we’re approaching late fall, students are working hard to submit their applications in time. Menna has been working hard since the summer on submitting her application for UVA, a public research university in Charlottesville, VA.  

Menna talks about the application process, which partly consists of a 50-word writing response to a prompt and a common application essay, which she started over the summer. She explains how the writing prompts are a short, easy way for the school to get to know its rising students. The common application essay is an essay that’s a standard requirement for all colleges.  

Menna enjoys some parts of the process, including the writing prompts. “Those are really fun,” Helal says, “But the writing supplements are really annoying.” She is grateful that UVA doesn’t require these school-specific essays. There are also parts of the application process that are not so fun. “The common-app essay, definitely,” Menna says when talking about the hardest part of the college application process. 

But overall, rising college freshmen like Menna Helal are working hard to achieve their goals of getting into their preferred college, and are excited to take that next step in their life.