Quinn Branch, 16, and Joanna SueWing, 17, both returning students at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé, were sitting on the grass before their first class with Willow Whistler, 15, a student last year at the now-former Thunder Mountain High School, with no us-versus-them hangups about starting a new school year together at the newly consolidated JDHS.
“There are more people to talk to,” SueWing said.
A similar anticipation was common among the estimated 1,110 students showing up for the first day of school Thursday morning, with the size of that crowd most obvious in the packed commons area where students formed lines to pick up their schedules. Students also said finding parking space near the school was a challenge, classes appear to be larger, and competition for things like sports teams and bands will be tougher.
There was considerable discussion by some students earlier this year — as Juneau School District leaders were considering the consolidation that ultimately was implemented July 1 as a way to resolve a critical-level budget shortfall — about wanting to preserve two distinctly different cultures at the two high schools. But that wasn’t on the minds of students interviewed while arriving at JDHS on Thursday.
“I’m just excited to meet new people,” said Chatham McPherson, 17, a senior who attended JDHS last year. “I think it’ll be fun to just get all of Juneau back together. You know we’re a small community. It’s fun to put all our youth together in one big school.”
District Superintendent Frank Hauser said combining the schools is allowing for a larger range of curriculum offerings. McPherson said she’s “taking a very career-oriented schedule and I’m taking a lot of dual credit classes this year” as she hopes to pursue a career in Indigenous education.
Thunder Mountain, which opened in 2008 and had slightly fewer than 600 students in grades 9-12 last year, is now a middle school for all students in grades 7-8 who previously attended two middle schools elsewhere in Juneau. Whistler, sitting with her two new JDHS peers, said she’s looking forward to being in the older building that opened its doors in 1956, although she wishes it had at least one key feature of her former school.
“This is a good school,” she said. “I just wish that they had the parking.”
Similar concern about a shortage of parking, as well as classes that instructors said were “going to be either max capacity or over,” was expressed by Elias Dybdahl, 15, a junior who went to JDHS last year. He also was on the Crimson Bears varsity basketball team and he said playing on a squad with former Falcons will be an adjustment.
“I think it’s going to be weird at first playing with people who were our opponents,” he said. “But I’m friends with most of them so I’m kind of going to be used to it.”
Mahi Bhatt, 16, a junior who was at JDHS, said she expects more competition for lead positions in the school orchestra she plays the violin for.
“There’s a lot of people from the other school that are better than me, but I can hope,” she said.
But even with the extra competition Bhatt said she’s looking forward to being part of a single student body.
“I think it’s going to be exciting,” she said. “It’ll be fun just to just know everybody from the other school.”
A tougher competition to make the cross-country team is “definitely” expected since roughly 100 students have signed up so far, but that’s also a competitive plus, said Ferguson Wheeler, 16, a senior who also competes in Nordic skiing.
“I think we’re going to be a better team,” he said. “I mean, I think we’re gonna crush state for sure.”
JDHS Principal Paula Casperson, a few minutes before the bell for the first 9:30 a.m. class sounded, said things generally seemed to be going smoothly as the crowd of students in the commons area began thinning out.
“Our staff came back starting on Monday, and they have been here working hard and getting ready, and we did a walkthrough this morning and everything looks like we’re good to go,” she said.
Some students said there are likely to be bumpy moments with the transition to a single high school, but they should be resolved over time.
“I feel like our high school kind of felt a little empty before,” Wheeler said. “Even if there’s people against each other and, like, fighting almost, or there’s contention, I think it’s going to end up being a better high school.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
A steady procession of vehicles and students arrives at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé before the start of the new school year on Thursday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
A sign on an exterior wall at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé welcomes arriving students in many languages on the first day of school Thursday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Falcons banners continue to fly as buses drop off students at the newly named Thunder Mountain Middle School on the first day of school Thursday, as the high school students in the building last year have now been consolidated into Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
