The scenario was not new to me, but the students were, well some of them were.

On my first day back it seemed that the school had not changed a bit, just more intimidating (coming from a high school that had 50 kids could make any school seem intimidating).

As I entered my first period class and saw the smiling faces of the students around me, I realized all that I missed in these two years. The opportunities that I would need to take advantage of to make up for lost time were endless.

For some, they have the opportunity to spend most of their high school years at Fresno Christian, and ultimately yearn for a taste of the public school system. I received that taste for two years, and for me it was bitter.

During my sophomore and junior year I attended a public high school in the middle of Bonadelle Ranchos in Madera. Their academics met basic regulations and offered nothing more than the essentials; Math, English, science and history.

Do not get me wrong, I loved the teachers, their personalities and experiences taught me more than any class offered. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my fellow students.

We had our good times of course, our memories that would last a lifetime, but we did not have that connection. That one minute detail makes the difference between life long friends or acquaintances. That detail, for me, teetered on morals and unfortunately theirs were complete opposite of mine.

A majority of the students came to school stoned, while others bragged about their weekend excursion to the planned pregnancy clinic. Most of our class discussions ended up revolving around my morals against theirs, and our debates made me look like a religious fanatic because the other Christians in my class refused to take a stand for fear of confrontation.

By the end of those years the students knew where I stood. They respected me for it, but felt that it was not right for them. Sharing my faith alone constantly weighed down on me. Frustrations built up against those students that claimed to more high and mighty than the rest yet refused to take a stand.

During my senior year, this frustration magnified. I wanted to remember my senior year as one that was rewarding and entertaining, but when I looked around at my graduating class the likelihood of that seemed very dim.

Three fellow seniors were expelled, another got pregnant, a rumored abortion, and numerous other problems helped me determine enough was enough. There were so many things I could have done like home school or transfer to another, but the voice of Greg Stobbe and my friends from Fresno Christian kept ringing in my head.

I missed them all and the fun we experienced during my freshman year at Fresno Christian. After much prayer and discussions with my parents we sent up an interview with Jon Endicott, associate principal.

Now I am here and the future possibilities excite me. I am not saying that it?s going to be a cake walk, but entering chapel on my first day back, I saw the faces of people who shared the same views as me, and heard their voices as they praised their creator.

The excitement I felt made me more refreshed than I have felt in a long time.