Zaniya Brown
Freshmen Myla Reid, Paloma Garcia, Nahomi Bustamante (left to right), sophomore Chloe Rosas and freshman Elin Quisenberry have bonded in class over assignments and tasks for journalism class. The collaborative nature of the class has allowed their connection to blossom.
School is one of the biggest opportunities for people to learn essential life lessons. One of those lessons is the ability to make friendships that can last for years to come. Surprisingly, a lot of these budding friendships start in the classroom.
Being repeatedly surrounded by the same people is often how people get to know each other, and classrooms provide the perfect environment for just that. Learning in classes with the same people five days out of the week leaves a lot of room for students to bond with one another.
“Classrooms can provide a shared space where students spend a lot of time together participating in discussions and working on group assignments,” school counselor Jennifer Kinney said. “Working on group projects together and sitting near the same people in every class gave me the chance to talk with them and get to know them better.”
The collaboration that takes place in the classroom not only helps students bond in their classes but also helps improve their performance on assignments. For instance, seniors Nicholas Echevarry and Shiloh Blount have both been at the school for 13 years. They feel that their friendship yields both social and academic benefits.
“A lot of times, we get each other to ‘lock in’ on our work, assisting each other on assignments we may not fully understand,” Echevarry said.
Although it can be daunting to make new friends within your classes, simply saying hi and being yourself can be the first step to forming lifelong bonds.
“Don’t try to be different from who you are,” Blount said. “Being authentic is how you find friends that appreciate you for you. Being someone else won’t do you any good.”