Before the beginning of the new school year, Dr. Zrike made the big decision to combine the two high schools into one. They are both Holyoke High School now, but one is referred to as the Dean Campus and the other is the North Campus. Both schools have the same Executive Principal, Dr. Mahoney, as well.

Senior, Chamile Cruz, thinks the schools combining was a good idea. She states, “I personally don’t mind that the schools have combined because it doesn’t affect me at all. I can’t speak for everyone, but it doesn’t affect me since I don’t go to classes there. I do like how they’re combined because Dean kids are going to be part of our events now.”

Not only has the school changed by combining, but since the change, it has affected how our schedule was put together this year. I asked Cruz if she liked the way our schedule has changed and she stated “I am okay with the way the schedule has changed because of the combined schools. It’s really interesting to drop a class every day. It can be confusing at times, but other than that, I really don’t mind it.” Cruz and I spoke about how each year has different types of changes and she stated that each year is pretty “different” and “unique” and how during her last year things changed dramatically.

I decided to interview the creator of the combined schools, Dr. Zrike. We talked about what made him think of this big decision and why he thought it was so important to the students going to the North and Dean Campuses. Dr. Zrike stated that he mainly came to make some positive changes to our schools. He thought it was best for both schools to be combined so both schools can have access to all the materials they may need. He also believes that this change has had a positive effect on students and their education, stating it wasn’t a hard change for students. The change has worked like he hoped since many students are able to participate in things at either school. He hopes to keep making more positive changes to make students want to take a big leap into attaining leadership skills/opportunities and to feel connected the school.

What do you think about the combination of the Dean Tech and Holyoke High? Do you like or dislike it? Let us know what you think about these changes.