Peninsula gears up for the new year

The Jackie Prindle Pool, the Kelly Johnson Fieldhouse, wireless Internet systems and new faculty merely touch on the long list of Peninsula’s additions in the past three years. Though countless, these additions did not proceed ignored.

The news of Peninsula ranking #72 of over 26 thousand schools in the nation inevitably set new standards for Peninsula to uphold in the coming years. It is indeed a rare feat for a school to surge from #294 in the nation to #72; however, this nearly unbelievable jump is attributed to more than just the dedication of the principal or the student body. The entire community, including its contributions to the sum of improvements in the past few years, has propelled Peninsula to upper echelons of academia.

The policies of the administration, from the reallocations of funds to the cheating policy, as well as its transformation of the students’ daily schedule through Panther Time, work to nurture a challenging, but healthy academic atmosphere on campus. Because of all of these developments, the school is in an upward trajectory.

Our strengthening academics parallel our school’s increased competitive nature, both in class and out of it.

Though Peninsula has indeed excelled academically, a crucial portion of these additions focuses on the health and welfare of the student body. School spirit and a unique dedication to promote an entertaining school environment foster a certain unity and camaraderie. This active engagement ultimately empowers students to strive to learn better, score better and be better.

Within the first few weeks of the school year’s start, senior Alexa Cha has gained a loyal following of enthusiastic peers in a collective effort to place Peninsula among the most spirited schools in the nation; the ever growing Zoo cheering section allows students a healthy outlet in expressing school spirit while also supporting the various teams on campus.

The Team Room, weight room, courtroom, SMERT building and World Language Lab will only contribute to Peninsula’s continuous, exponential growth. As witnesses to the immense improvements throughout the years, the Peninsula community will steadily advance far beyond the boundaries that have existed thus far.

As the school year begins, we should each remember that we are gears in a machine, working together simultaneously to propel forward while focusing on being the best versions of ourselves.