As the 2023-24 school year begins, we are now celebrating 30 years. The school doors first opened on Sept. 7, 1993 for 635 9th and 10th grade students. To celebrate, junior Principal Sarah Goodman said that the school will be recognizing traditions and events from the past.
¨The plan is to share a lot of nostalgia through pictures, old uniforms, and have as many celebrations as we can. There’s some things on the horizon that we’re not sharing yet but we are bringing back Wellness labs this year so it’ll be a focus on social emotional wellness and we’ll do it the week after homecoming and students will get to sign up for different stress relieving activities,¨ Goodman said.
Since 1993 many things have been changed, added, and removed. Math teacher Shannon Walton, teacher of 28 years, said that along with technological advances, there have been lots of changes that can be seen throughout the school.
¨There have been many physical changes to Summit: The new theater wing, new library, newspaper, yearbook, and radio classroom and radio station, science labs, and turf fields,¨ Walton said.
Principal Dr. Emily McCown said she thinks the changes made inside the building such as the commons and library have been the bigger transformations.
¨There’s been some additions put on, the library was probably the biggest change, and the commons used to be a tiered floor for a second stage,¨ McCown said.
Walton also explains how the community the school has built has become more and more connected over the years and sports programs are giving opportunities to not only students.
¨Many of Summits sports programs, like the 026 army and more have formed youth leagues over the years that have not only helped to build their programs for the high school level but also have allowed Summit students to give back to the younger kids in the Fenton area,¨ Walton said.
Social studies teacher Gregory Gilbert said his favorite memory was when the football team and soccer team were celebrated for going to state.
“[In] 2004 at a pep assembly when both the soccer team and football team were [celebrated for being] state bound and both programs of players were truly friends of each other and truly supported each other,” Gilbert said.
The school has had several teachers who were once students come back to teach throughout the years.
Science teacher Daniel Money graduated in 2017, subbed in 2020, and started teaching in 2022. Money said that he enjoys building relationships with his students but never expected himself to come back to this school, especially as a teacher.
¨I didn’t think I would come back. But now the students are my favorite part of being a teacher and being able to build connections with each of them,¨ Money said.
As items and pictures are shown and celebrated around school, it brought attention to some memories of the years.
History teacher and boys soccer coach Thomas Wade said some memories that stuck out to him were winning State twice and also beating one of the top teams.
“I would have to say my favorite memories are winning two state championships [in 2016 and 2019] in front of the massive 026 community as well as defeating Pennsbury who was ranked second in the nation at home in front of a fully packed, standing room only summit stadium back in 2012,” Wade said.
Goodman said she had been looking forward to the academic pep assembly after hearing good things about them in the past.
“My favorite memory was the academic pep assembly last year because I had always heard that Summits pep assemblies are awesome and it was cool getting to see so many students I knew,” Goodman said.
