Do you remember your first day at Howell North? Just imagine having to do that three times within two years, and you will be right in Sam Sturgeon’s shoes. During her sophomore year at Howell North, a turn of events led to her switching schools to attend Francis Howell Central. Like any high school student would be, Sturgeon wasn’t happy about having to leave old friends and teachers behind.

“I hated the idea at first because I didn’t want to have to start over. I felt like I had already made all of my friends, and didn’t want to do all of that again,” Sturgeon said.

Sturgeon wasn’t the only one affected by the move; her friends were just as upset as she was. They felt like they were almost losing a very close friend.

“I was pretty upset because she just wasn’t going to be there anymore, it was going to be weird,” junior Meaghan Grzybinski said.

The first day of school is a scary moment for anyone, even if you’re just coming back to your old school from summer break. Will any of your friends be in any of your classes or maybe even in your lunch? For sturgeon, however, the answer to those questions was no. Her friends would be in a completely different school miles away.

“I felt really awkward on the first day,” Sturgeon explained. “At first I thought I was going to go in open minded and with a smile on my face. When I got there though, it was like, this isn’t the same.”

After one semester of being at Howell Central, Sturgeon got the news that she was moving yet again. She would be returning to Howell North for the rest of her junior year.

“I was extremely excited. My mom told me we were moving again because our lease was up, and I couldn’t wait to start the first day,” Sturgeon said.

While twice was a rough trip, being back at Howell North, Sturgeon feels more at home and wants to stay here for the rest of her high school career.

“My grades actually went down when I came back to north because of the stress of everything and having to regroup and get back into things with my friends. Everything is great now though. I’m happy to be back,” Sturgeon said.