The first day of school for new students can be daunting, as worries of making friends, adjusting to life on campus and fitting in cross their minds.

Clovis Christian transfer students Theresa Perez, ’13, and Joshua Grinage, ’12, had to adjust to a new school environment halfway through the school year, unsure of what to expect.

Perez appreciates size, athletics

Perez came to FC at the beginning of the second semester after finding out that Clovis Christian was closing.

“I found out from my parents that Clovis Christian was closing this year,” Perez said. “I came to FCS because my parents wanted to keep me in a private school.”

Perez’s mom, Esther Garcia, says that she decided to send her daughter to FC after hearing about the school from a church friend, junior Tyler Krigbaum’s mother.

“Tyler Krigbaum’s mother and I go to church together, and she told me about FCS and how much [Krigbaum] liked it, so I took her word and set up an interview with Mr. [Todd] Bennett,” Garcia said. “I also wanted her to attend a Christian school to get a well-rounded education that was Christian-based.”

Although both Clovis Christian and FC are private Christian schools, Perez says she has noticed significant differences between the campuses.

“This campus is a lot bigger, and there are more students. I think it is a good thing, because there are more people to interact with and I make a lot of different friendships,” Perez said. “I really like the school. When I first started, everyone was very welcoming and really nice, and I love that we have chapel twice a week; it helps me stay close to God.”

Although transferring in the middle of the school year can be difficult, Perez says the friendliness of the staff and students allowed her to better adjust to the new environment.

“I thought it was going to be hard adjusting to a new school, but it was a lot easier than I expected it to be because everyone was so nice and they were willing to be friends with me,” Perez said.

Aside from school, Perez enjoys playing soccer in her free time. She has been playing for about 11 years, but could not pursue her soccer career at Clovis Christian because the school did not have a soccer team. However, at FC Perez was given the opportunity to continue.

“Although I did not play the whole season, I had a great time playing soccer for FCS,” Perez said. “I am happy that there is a team here. I got along with all the girls and made new friends with some of them. Next year will be a lot of fun because I will know the team better.”

After looking back over the past few months, Perez believes that she made the right decision by coming to FC.

“I wanted to spend my second semester here at FCS,” Perez said. “And I am really happy that I came here because I really like the school. Also, I hope that I will make more friends throughout the year and [get] good grades.”

Grinage recognizes friendly atmosphere, sports opportunities

Like Perez, Grinage is also looking forward to playing campus sports this year.

“One of the reasons why I came here is because of sports,” Grinage said. “I am looking forward to baseball season. I think playing for FCS is going to be different than Clovis Christian because there’s going to be more players, but I think it will be a lot more fun and I will have more friends. I will also have a better chance to improve my skills. I am also excited to play football and basketball next season.”

Although most students transfer at the beginning of the school year, Grinage made the transition at the start of the spring semester. Since he has attended FC for about two months, he can reflect on the benefits of switching schools.

“I am happy that I came here, because at Clovis Christian, not many sports were offered,” Grinage said. “But here, I get to play sports that I love, such as baseball and, next year, football.”

Like Perez, Grinage also says that he enjoys the atmosphere of the school.

“People are very nice to me even though I am new,” Grinage said. “I make more friends every day. The atmosphere of the school is really fun, and my favorite thing about the school is the friendliness of everyone.”

He says that FC is more academically challenging.

“I think that FCS classes are different than Clovis Christian’s,” Grinage said. “There are more classes here and they are more challenging, so it was hard for me, at first, to get used to the school system.”

Grinage also says that, besides sports, one of the main reasons he came to the campus is because of Krigbaum, who transfered to FC in the beginning of the school year.

“Tyler is one of my best friends,” Grinage said. “We have been friends for a very long time, and I wanted to finish out my high-school sports with my best friend.”

In the same way, Krigbaum says he is pleased that he and Grinage can attend the same school once again.

“He has been a best friend of mine since we were in preschool,” Krigbaum said. “To know how happy he was to come here with me and to see how happy he is to be here at FCS means a lot, and I am really glad to be going to school with my best friend again.”

For more coverage of transfer students, read the Oct. 13, 2010 article, Transfers acclimate to FC environment.

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