As the 2023-2024 school year comes to an end, the graduating class of 2024 has been getting more sentimental as they experience their final moments as high school students. I asked some of my classmates to share some of their favorite things about their time at NPHS in hopes that the underclassmen will also value these things, and that the staff will receive some well deserved appreciation from their seniors.

Gabby Glaser and Charlie Rooney both said that Mr. Arnold was their favorite teacher, because he is “very kind and supportive” and because they appreciate his “good sense of humor”. Everyone loves a good laugh in class sometimes.

Additionally, Natasha Grandov and Patrick Fanning said that Mr. Makmur was their favorite teacher because of his humor as well as his relatability. In addition, Fanning said that his favorite class was AP Chemistry: “It was just way more interesting than most other classes”. 

Alexa DeSeta says that her favorite class throughout her time at NPHS was Criminology, which is taught by Mr. Tracey. She says that everything in the curriculum really interested her:  “I wish the school offered more classes like criminology and sociology”.

Gabe DeLuca said that his favorite teacher was Mrs. Matrale:  “She has always been kind and understanding. She has also pushed me to do what she thinks is best for me, and she is also just a good friend”.

In terms of the cafeteria, multiple students shared their sadness over having to leave it behind. Avery Lee and Natasha Grandov both said they would miss the cafeteria bagels, “especially the fluorescent ones.”

Glaser said that she will miss the amazing cookies that are served in the cafeteria. The NPHS cafeteria really does deserve so much love, from the snacks to the super friendly employees. 

Dylan Ohnsorg and DeLuca both shared their love for AP US History. 

Ohnsorg said: “It was a really fun and engaging class which was made better by the people I had class with.”

DeLuca agreed that it really was the best of both worlds for him: “I luckily had this class with a lot of my friends, combined with my favorite topic in history, this class was very fun and educative.”

Cara Lawton said that her favorite class was Advanced Journalism:“I love the independence and fun projects we get to do all year long.”

Coming from an Advanced Journalism seat right now, I have to agree with her!

The foreign language department was also commended by multiple students. Lee and Rooney both said that their favorite classes were Spanish 2 and 3. 

Lee claims that this is because “Mrs. Henriques mixes teaching with fun and makes an effort to get to know her students.”

Maddy Hasenkopf agreed with this, and said that they played the best games during her classes.

Glaser said that she also enjoyed AP Psychology with Mr. Klein: “I found it very interesting because it was taught through class involvement, presentations, and videos, so there was a wide variety to keep it entertaining”.

In non-school related terms, DeSeta said “I will miss being able to see my friends everyday, especially the ones I have known since Kindergarten.”

In agreement with this thought, DeLuca said he will miss “just being able to walk in and know everybody. I don’t think there will be a feeling like that ever again”.

NPHS is a positive, nurturing school environment that allows students to form connections, make memories, and discover who they really are. Speaking on behalf of the entire class, we are all extremely grateful for our time here and will really miss an endless amount of things!