I came from a high school of about 300 or so students, give or take, and I loved it. I couldn’t imagine having gone anywhere other than Carmi-White County High School. It had its disadvantages (what high school doesn’t?) but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Here are some reasons why.

1. I knew everyone in my graduating class.

There were only 97 people in my graduating class. I wasn’t necessarily friends with all of those people but I knew all of their names and at least one significant thing about them. That’s something that I think is special about small high schools.

2. My class was closer than most classes.

Once again, we weren’t all best friends but we were close enough to ban together when times were rough. I don’t talk to a majority of people in my graduating class now but we still have that bond of being the Class of 2014.

3. Football season was the best.

Everyone was always at the home games. It was almost like whole town shut down on Friday nights. Cheering on our Bulldogs was something that brought the community together.

4. Homecoming Week was the most exciting week out of the whole year.

I remember my senior year, I woke up at six in the morning to tease my hair and cake on 80s makeup for Decades Day. One girl even dressed up as Jesus. It wasn't an event that was taken lightly. We went all out for Homecoming every year. Hallways were decorated, students always dressed up and who can forget the annual Wolff brothers’ toe touch competition?

5. Most of the time you had the same people in your classes every year.

I took four years of Spanish. In those four years, I took Spanish with the same people. I think that being around the same people every year made that class more fun. We got to know each other really well. Perhaps we knew each other a little better than we would have liked, but we had some great memories like doing the Waka Waka and Chase running around the room chanting “Fútbol de Americana es muy importante!”

6. You also had the same teachers.

Having the same teacher more than once is so beneficial. I always knew what my Spanish teacher expected from me because I had her four years in a row. The same concept goes for History. I knew how their tests were set up and always knew what to study in order to succeed in those classes.

7. The faculty knew you personally.

Sometimes this could be a bad thing, like when you forgot to turn in your homework and your teacher texts your mom right there in class. However, for the most part, it was nice to have teachers and the staff know you on a personal level. Now when I go to my brother’s plays and sporting events, my previous teachers still ask how I’m doing.

8. I had friends outside of my grade.

Our school was so small; you almost couldn’t afford not to have older and younger friends. Some of my closest friends in high school were, and still are, the freshman I took under my wing as an upperclassman.

9. Having five minutes to get to class wasn't that big of a deal.

Our school was not big at all. It did not take long to get from one end of the building to another. Your biggest issue when it came to getting to class on time was the group of freshmen that liked to stand in the middle of the hallway.

10. The student body was a community.

Every morning, our principal would say that CWCHS was a big family. Somedays I had mixed emotions about that statement but I came to realize that he was right. When times were tough, the whole school came together to lift each other up and give support to one another.

I wouldn't trade my experiences at my small high school for anything. I loved my time there and the people I experienced four years of my life with. In no way were those the best years of my life, but I learned a lot from the people around me and I continue to grow because of it.