Navigating change after moving from a private school, freshman Lyla Burrell has faced new challenges.

Burrell came from Martin Luther Academy, a private school that is also in Clay County. She said her old school it was smaller, making it difficult to stay separated from drama. 

“It was small, and you got caught up, even if you weren’t in the drama, you got pulled into it,” Burrell said. “Here, I like how big it is compared to my old school, and there’s more class options than the ones at my old school.” 

Finding new friends was difficult for Burrell at first after moving schools, but some old friends helped. Joining sports team helped connect her with new friends. 

“Well, some of my old friends that were at my old school moved here, too, so I had a couple of them, and then they made their own friends, so then I kind of became friends with them,” Burrell said. “Then, I also made friends from doing tennis or soccer.” 

Coming from a smaller private school that was kindergarten through eighth grade with about 169 students where options were limited, to Staley, where there were more than 2,100 students, gave her more opportunities to meet new people and explore new classes. 

“I get to have more friends, and it’s nice that there’s more options for classes, too,” Burrell said. 

The change was also positive because she said her former learning environment wasn’t ideal. 

“Some of my teachers cared, but also some of them didn’t care what you did,” Burrell said. 

Burrell faced challenges when transitioning, but she said there were positives to make her experience a good one.