For our final article and issue with The Wolfpack Press, we, the last of the original members of Ms. Franco’s journalism club, decided to collaborate on an article chronicling our years with Explore Middle School. We have greatly enjoyed our time as members and leaders of The Wolfpack Press and hope that The Wolfpack Press and its website are preserved and shared well after our graduation on June 23, 2023. Without further ado, here’s our take on the past three years. 

What some have referred to as a lost year educating students all around the world, was extraordinarily different for those experiencing it. When the course of a life is changing, the option to ease into a new environment is a choice that is very easily accepted, especially for a major change. For the Explore Class of 2023, the pandemic and lockdown going into their 6th-grade year was this opportunity presented.

On a normal day, you would sleep in until the last minute, or maybe a few minutes after, probably a full period after classes began. You might then drag yourself along the miles-long journey to a computer some feet away, or search vigorously for a device somewhere in the jungle of your bed. Now that “school” has begun, join a Google Meet still half-asleep and with your camera off. The next 5 hours were all yours, nobody could make you join the meets or pay attention once you were in, only you could decide what you would be doing.

The days in school were few and full of chaos, but the specialty in them was that you could truly communicate with classmates and friends. Conversation was light and childish, but every joke said and real laugh heard was refreshing from not talking in a real sense to anyone at all. Many hours were spent under the shade of the playground’s rusty green slides, and its tiny red ants were crawling wherever they felt like.

There were not as many events in the 6th grade as there were experiences, but the experiences were memorable in their rarity among the repetitiveness of life at the time. The days in school and those at home were not completely detrimental to all of us, in fact, they introduced new concepts incredibly important to our 6th-grade selves. The time we chose what to do with taught us responsibility and self-management. The days we were together taught how to meet new people and form new connections in an adult way. And these lessons were taught the easy way, as an introduction to future development in Middle School.

Many might say that middle school is a trying time for many. I would agree with this. But I also must say that 7th grade was one of the most rewarding years the class of 2023 has had. We learned a lot about life, about friendships, and even leadership. That sense of finding your people, especially after COVID, is definitely rewarding. Educators will say that community is a big aspect of learning. Being with peers is able to change you and open your mind up to bigger things other than yourself. 

7th grade was the year we met people, people who will be lifelong friends. We also learned a lot about ourselves and when to stop. As for our time together let's take a walk. Our crazy school dance, the STEM walk where we saw some snakes, and so many more adventures. Throughout our middle school career, we have had our ups and downs but we always managed to get by. We are the Wolfpack!

8th grade was a weird year. Like most years, a lot happened. Unlike most years, everything seemed to change. From changing CTEs to the prospect of going to high school, not only did we, the graduating class, evolve, but Explore did too. Among the list of Explore-wide changes, student council representatives, CTEs, field trips, and even after school. As for us, the class of 2023, we’ve grown and evolved too much to be detailed in just one article. We’ve made memories, done a lot of projects, and even made some history. 

As for memories, let’s review some. The outlandish mushroom farm, the very intense student council elections, the drama and the fun times, the school dance, and by the time this is published, the field trip, the formal, and graduation. And you can’t forget the spring showcase. 

As for us, the class of 2023, we all went in with the “We’re done with this,” mentality. We’ve been looking forward to graduation since the first day of school. But now that it’s finally happening, we have more conflicted ideas about what it means to go to high school. Hopefully, we can all find our place in our respective schools as surely as we found it at Explore. 

Q&A:

Favorite year:

Melody-6/8th

Olivia-7th

Connor-6th

Credits:

6th grade: Connor Rasulo

7th grade: Olivia Habermann

8th grade: Melody Hartman-Kelly

Thank you, Wolfpack.