We all remember our middle school experiences. The so-called “worst years of our lives” are behind us. Or are they? Former Sutton Middle School students, now freshmen at North Atlanta High School, give us an inside look into their favorite school.
The physical appearance of North Atlanta is known for its towering nature and solid grey structure standing proudly above a lake of turtles. Though a drastic change from the rather complex three-floor layout of Sutton, the class of 2027 handled this transition well. Freshman Maryam Hashim said, “North Atlanta is really big both mentally and physically. I was terrified that I would get lost but it is much easier to navigate than I thought.”
When it comes to lunches, which school does it better is unclear. Transitioning from Sutton’s 45-minute lunches to what seems like only 10 minutes at North Atlanta has been a difficult adjustment for many incoming freshmen. However, Sutton’s cafeteria did have its faults. Students were required to walk in line on their way to lunch, they had assigned tables with their classes, and they were accustomed to the reality of silent lunches. When considering the food itself, there is a clear winner. “North Atlanta has much more of a variety,” said Freshman Lauren Veren. “Sutton usually only had one thing, so it’s definitely an upgrade.”
One unique feature that takes every new North Atlanta student by surprise is the infamous elevator system. Many students use the elevators to justify the infinite amount of stairs in the building, but in reality, what should be a blessing is, at times, a curse. North Atlanta students always have the option to save their breath and avoid the stairs—an option they never had at Sutton—but in many cases, this choice comes with the addition of an unexcused tardy. Freshman Anne Clay Jones said, “I don’t really use the elevators unless I have to. They’re really crammed and the buttons don’t work, but they can definitely be helpful when your classes are so high up.”
While it may seem that North Atlanta is taking the lead in the battle of the schools, there is one area they just can not win in: workload. Freshmen described the first couple of weeks as having mountains of work. At Sutton, classes are nearly half as long as the 90-minute classes offered at North Atlanta, but the freshmen have found that the block schedule makes work more manageable. “I like how the classes are spaced out with the block schedule homework-wise,” said Jones. “However, the 90-minute classes are a big transition.”
Let’s review: Sutton has longer yet less desirable lunches, less work, and a smaller but more complex building layout. North Atlanta has turtles, tasty yet shorter lunches, and a questionable elevator system. No offense Sutton, but it looks like North Atlanta is 11 times better.
