August Sets the Stage for a New School Year

Picture by Rebekah Hope

Students rewind the first month of the 2026-2027 WGHS school year, recapping their favorite and least favorite moments and planning how they can make September better and more enjoyable.
by Corynne Cox, Quinn Fleming, and Brooks Conner

For Brayden Fleming, the start of his sophomore year in August was exciting. With his friends, new classes, and classmates, the first month "went by pretty quick." One of his favorite parts about August was his weight training class, where he bonded with his friends while they lifted together. Outside of school, Brayden spent time with his baseball friends by throwing the ball around and working to improve. However, not everything came easily to Brayden. His APUSH class has been a challenge, with him saying, "All my assignments have been really hard, and mainly just a lot of extra schoolwork my sophomore year than my freshman year." On the bright side, US Intel has been his favorite class because, as Brayden states, "All my friends and the teacher, Coach Seale, are really laid-back and chill, and the class is not hard at all; it's really easy." As he heads into September, Brayden plans to work on studying more for tests so he can get good grades.

​Veronica Nzekwe is a sophomore and has had a very chaotic first month balancing marching band and various other clubs, including TSA and the Walton Youth Advocacy Board. She is learning how to manage her time efficiently. She has also had a fun time with her friends, and a lot of laughs have been shared. Veronica enjoyed the first home football game of the WGHS season despite the loss: "We did lose, but Walnut Grove showed a lot of spirit, we showed a lot of energy, and that made me smile and enjoy my time…" She managed to find the good in the loss and continued to enjoy her time. Veronica loves Mrs. Booth's Advanced Lit class and the assignments she assigns. Mrs. Booth is a very generous person who loves to get to know everybody in her classes: "She really is very sweet, and she’s really open to learning about everyone…" As Veronica starts her second month of school, she strives to manage her time and rest.

Jadon Ross is a junior at Walnut Grove, and he is starting off his August well. Jadon comes from New York, and he came in the second semester of last year, so this will be his first full year at WG. Although this is only the first month of school, Jadon already has a favorite thing that he enjoys doing: "Probably physics class; you know, with Coach Hoang, the tiles were fun." Jadon's favorite class is always going to be physics because of his teacher. One of the things Jadon enjoys doing outside of school is basketball. Even though he may love basketball, he does not enjoy playing soccer because he is always messing up. School can be a fun place to be, but Jadon describes his first month as "cool, pain, and misery." As September begins, Jadon plans to "focus on getting good grades and 90 and above in all my classes."

As students at Walnut Grove move into September, they can reflect on how their August went and how to improve moving forward.