As a current Huron student, it’s easy to forget that thousands of students have gone through this exact system before us. Alumni like Carly Richards can show us how for every thing that changes, an equal amount stays the same.
Richards was in Huron’s class of ’95. Since graduation, Richards has led many lives.
“I’ve had to recreate myself several times,” Richards said. “I was an athlete growing up, I’ve been a passionate dance mom for twenty-four years, and since my daughter is more independent now, I am now a self-declared stay-at-home dog mom who sells houses.”
Before any of those lives started, Richards was a 14-year-old freshman straight out of Tappan.
“Back then, Tappan was the only middle school that was divided between {Pioneer and Huron},” Richards said. “That meant that there were only about two dozen of my eighth-grade graduating class that came to Huron. It was a lot of unknown people; it was nerve-racking.”
Like many students, though, she found her place within sports.
“The basketball team was really my family when I came to high school. I’m still in communication with a lot of those girls thanks to social media.”
While basketball took up a large chunk of her time, Richards emphasized the importance of the little moments.
“I think my favorite memories from high school were moments in between classes,” Richards said. “Definitely the small, social memories.”
Since her time at Huron, though, many things have changed, specifically the rhetoric around college and the pressure that comes with it.
“I think there’s more pressure for students to perform now,” Richards said. “The kids that knew they were going to U of M or State they kind of knew early on. There was less conversation about it then.”
Even something as small as locker usage has changed tremendously. The lockers are now notorious for their small size and general uselessness among the student body, but in 1995, they were a cornerstone of students’ routine.
“I had the same locker all four years of school,” Richards said. “Every hour, you’d go back to your locker. I remember having friends who’d have their locker up on the third floor and for my third floor classes I’d leave my stuff with them. So yes, we used the teeny-tiny lockers.”
With her experience, Richards has come out the other end with a valuable piece of advice:
“Don’t be afraid to try something new, it’s ok if you don’t fit in,” she said. “March to the beat of your own drum.”
