Johns Creek High School is a well-ranked, unique school located in North Atlanta, currently in its eighth year of operation. With just over 2,000 students enrolled, the atmosphere and aura within the school is one of community. We are not all the same, by any means, but we all can relate to some similar things when it comes to the environment that we share for eight hours per day.
1. Allow 30+ minutes to get to school, even if you live a mile away
While I am extremely thankful for the traffic light that allows exit from JCHS and State Bridge Crossing Elementary, its turn signal allows about six cars through per cycle. Maybe. Not to mention that every road is backed up about a mile in every direction around the school. Great.
2. Gladiator Army
Even before we started actually winning in football (tied for first in region, woo!), the student section was always the absolute best. Full of hype cheers and decked out to the max in whatever the game's theme may be, Gladiator Army makes each game a full experience.
3. Parking passes are a big deal.
The junior parking pass lottery is always insanely hyped. Students listen to their sophomore friends at other schools talking casually about how they can apply for a pass once they get their license and shake their heads in amazement. Although a lot of people park at school without one anyway, it's shocking how much money people are willing to pay to buy someone else's pass (the $100 sticker usually receives offers of over $600).
4. If you didn't go to Waffle House after the school event, did you even go?
After every football game, orchestra concert or school dance, the Waffle House across the street sports a line out the door. And while you're there, make sure to add it to your Snapchat story, so that everyone can see that you really are part of the culture!
5. Gameday Fridays
Everyone loves having the announcements extended by ten minutes every Friday, even if it's only to watch some people sit on grapes, doodle terribly in Pictionary or play Wheel of Fortune. Each class gets oddly into it, usually screaming answers to the contestants and groaning loudly when they do not share their insight.
6. Homecoming week!!
The most hyped week of the year, homecoming week is everyone's favorite. Even people that are not planning on attending the dance dress up for the day's theme and take pictures with the hallway decorations. You stand out more if you don't partake.
7. We're still Northview's dumber sibling
Our SAT scores are getting there, but we're not quite better and we haven't quite tied, a fact that nobody hesitates to remind us of whenever we get a bit cocky.
8. Everyone's part of something...
Every day at lunch, there's a table selling shirts to raise money for something, handfuls of clubs have meetings before or afterschool on any given day, and asking someone what they are involved in usually triggers a laundry list of events. Sometimes, the competitive atmosphere can be stifling, anxiety-enducing and difficult to deal with, but, in the end, everyone has a wide social circle and has gained new benefits from being so hyper-involved. And it is sooo rewarding to see your accomplishments on the annoucements.
9. ...and everyone goes to everything
Not a fan of drama? Unsure how baseball actually works? A little confused on the difference between base and treble clefs? It doesn't matter, because you're going to go to the plays, games and concerts anyway! Load up your crew and show up; the support makes a difference.
10. The parking lot could be a car show
Full of Jeeps, trucks and nice sports cars, the parking lots are nerve-wracking to drive through since hitting one of them would mean thousands and thousands of dollars of repairs. It's beautiful though.
11. Sara's and Starbucks are a morning staple
Is there anything left to say? The world's best donuts live here, and Starbucks is the social hub for Johns Creek.
12. BEAT HOOCH!
With actual songs written about this rivalry, it goes beyond just the football game. Everyone must show up in their screenprinted "BEAT HOOCH" t-shirts and white out the cougars; they must.
13. Avoiding that one hallway that has more traffic than 141
You know the one I mean, the one that runs along the back of the school upstairs near the social studies and language arts classrooms. Everyone walks like they drive, too - distracted, slowly and rudely - and the sheer volume is enough to make you late for class.
14. Everything has a social media account...
We all remember former principal Ms. Johnson for her famous rhetoric about following her on Twitter, but it is true that everything has a social media account. Every club has an Instagram page and student government election campaigns manage their own social media. Retweet.
15. ...and Remind is a lifesaver.
How did anyone stay organized without technology? Since everybody is always somewhere doing something, it's great to periodically get reminders of those chapters of notes you've forgotten to do.
16. Everybody takes everything seriously...
Everyone tries very hard at everything. As part of a campaign to win student council president, someone temporarily installed charging stations. People rent limos for homecoming. There are raps (and sequels to raps) about football rivalries. Everyone cares and everyone tries.
17. ...except the serious stuff.
When a shooting threat was discovered that later turned out to be fake, the jokes were boundless. Nobody pays attention to class meetings, and lockdowns become memes. Hopefully nothing will ever be too serious.
18. You're a Gladiator at heart and you'd never be anything else.
Ultimately, where could you find another school that felt so much like home (as much as a school can) and gave you so many opportunities? Nowhere. As a friend of mine once said, "Johns Creek's not a bad school"; everyone who has entered into that atrium and seen the athletic flags surrounding the grand staircase would be inclined to agree.
