Our school’s principal, Mr. Valdes, is glad to report that this school year has been a relative success for everyone, from the students to the administrative staff alike.  

   As we all know, the school year did get off to quite a rocky start. With it being the first year of high school for many and there being uncertainty with the new COVID-19 protocols in place, there was a lot of confusion. Not to mention, dozens of students were being quarantined all the time to prevent any possible outbreaks at Miami High.  

   Mr. Valdes says that his biggest challenge during that period was getting the newer students to understand what it was like to be in a high school classroom and get around, as well as getting the upperclassmen to remember what it was like all over again. “It was a big change when the pandemic hit,” he said.  

    But his expectations for the year were mostly met. “My hopes were that we would get back to the old structure and meeting the expectations of Miami High. It started a little rough, but I think that we are in a good place going into next year,” he said.  

   That is not to say there were not any obstacles or setbacks along the way. Aside from the skepticism many parents had about sending their children to school, there was also the fear that the pandemic would intensify and cause schools to shut down again. And those fears were almost realized last autumn and winter. “We were not only losing students, but also teachers to the Covid,” Mr. Valdes declared.  

   Now that the school year is almost over though, all those things are nothing but memories, and hopefully they will stay that way. Again, Mr. Valdes says that his expectations were met, with Miami High remaining an “A” school during this year, with him striving for it to stay that way for years to come. On a scale from 1-10, he says he’d rate this year a 7.5, simply due to the rough start, but that “we’re getting there”.  

   All and all, he says that his biggest achievement was simply getting everyone back to enjoying high school life, with several of this year’s highlights only having been possible because of that, such as Homecoming Week, all this year’s sporting events, and of course the prom. However, he would also like to add, “I don’t think that you can put this all on one person, as it was a team effort by all the staff, teachers, administrators, and students as well.”  

   For next year, he says that he has high hopes for things to continue as well as they are currently, with students in classrooms, as well as more sports and school events to come.