For returning Spartans, coming back to school must have been like entering an entirely different planet: not only has the school been renovated and acquired a more modern look, but there is an influx of new faces on campus. Along with about 1,000 new students, there are dozens of new faculty members, including two new assistant principals.
Students might recognise Mr. Eric Pearson, the senior Assistant Principal, Mr. Mark Sweeso, the 9th-grade principal, and Mr. Shawn Calvert, the associate principal, from their respective introductions at the grade level meetings during the first week of school. They may be new faces on the Spartan side of town; however, Mr. Sweeso might be a familiar face for some–as he is a former faculty member.
“I got my first teaching job actually here at Seven Lakes High School,” Mr. Sweeso proudly said. “I was a social studies teacher, and taught mostly world history; I was [also] the assistant swim coach with Coach Beck for six years. During those six years, I got my Master’s from Lamar University and got my first assistant principal job at Tays Junior High[ and ]I was there for two years and this is my first year back at Seven Lakes as an administrator.”
No matter how familiar they are with the Spartan life, they are no strangers to the world of education– with that and their devotion to the students, they will work to ensure that students have a productive and engaging learning environment and are willing to help students get through the inevitable hardships that high school brings.
“I talk with students on their worst days where they’ve made a mistake that they really regret,” Mr. Sweeso said. “It’s really nice to work with those students to let them know that everyone makes mistakes, but the best part is, having students kind of own those mistakes and then not repeat them in the future. So I really like it when a student makes a mistake as a freshman, but then you see them learn from the mistake their freshman year, and then you see ’em sophomore, junior, senior year and they’re different.”
Apart from the dedication to helping students, they admire the students for their incredible work ethic and their dedication to creating the best future they can for themselves. They recognise that being at Seven Lakes is a journey that requires one’s blood, sweat and tears; nevertheless, they applaud the work the students do on a daily basis.
“They[Seven Lakes] have great kids here at this school,” Mr Pearson said. “ A lot of ’em[students] are just focused on their academics, [and] there’s a lot of great programs that they can be a part of, and the kids take advantage of these programs. So, it just makes for a great culture here.”
Overall, they are just looking towards an exciting and productive school year: which is already looking likely. Excitedly, Mr. Pearson and the about 900 seniors in the school are looking towards the reward of all their hard work and patience, their graduation.
“Seeing their faces light up when they walk across that stage, ” Mr. Pearson said it makes his job worthwhile. “Seeing their smiles, that excitement of watching them accomplish their goal, even though it’s just the beginning of [their] life. For them to hit that milestone and for us to be able to witness them [graduate] is great to see.”
