With around 3,000 students at Carl Sandburg High School, less than half of said students are transfers. Transfer students allow for a more diverse and distinctive school environment for all. 

Mrs. Miranda, Guidance Counselor at Carl Sandburg High School, explains what she thinks are the main reasons for kids transfers. She explained, “I believe it’s typical the reasons for kids decisions to transfer are parents moving, so family’s move to our area sometimes students who live in our area attend a Catholic school and choose to switch to Sandburg.”

Kids transferring into Sandburg adds so much more depth and meaning into the school’s history. Carl Sandburg gets students of many different kinds and from many different stories. For instance, one of Sandburg’s new transfer students is a Muslim student named Dalia Abu-Samra.

While speaking to Dalia, she was asked what were some of her favorite things about Sandburg and or about the transferring process. Dalia stated how, “Transferring to Sandburg was such a great experience. The people here allow making friends such a free feeling opportunity. I’ve found everyone here so kind and welcoming to the point where it feels like we’re family.” 

When transferring schools, making new friends can be a very stressful and anxious experience. Counselor Miranda explains, “So when we register a student we first put them in the courses that they need…once we build their schedule we talk to them about the day their starting school and then we have two counselors that work specifically with transfer students and they will hook them up with another student at a school. We have them try to be scheduled with the same lunch so they have a person to sit by and then they walk them to each of their classes, get their Chromebook, get their ID, their locker and overall just to each class.”

This person is referred to as a Tour Guide to the transfer students. We currently have over 30 Tour Guides, which continues to grow throughout the year, thanks to our amazing Eagle Connect Club students. When Dalia was asked about her Tour Guide experience, she said, “My Tour Guide was very helpful considering how they showed me around to all my classes, introduced me to my teachers and some friends, and also accompanied me at lunch.” 

Mrs. Miranda talks about her favorite part in regards to the transfer process and students and says, “I love having transfer students because they all come with different experiences and might not be specifically from the Sandburg area and bring different experiences from their life and learning about where they come from, where they’ve been and all their stories.” Transfer students can really bring out the diversity and differences throughout Carl Sandburg.

“My first day at Sandburg was a once in a lifetime like experience. I was so nervous entering the building but as the day went on, the less anxious I felt. My teachers were all so helpful and incredibly kind to me, especially coming from a person who doesn’t know many people here. I will gladly say that transferring to Sandburg was a decision I’ll definitely never regret,” said Dalia Abu-Samra. This is exactly what Sandburg’s goal is as a school: coming together, allowing people to feel like family, and have such a freeing and calming experience that allows someone to feel welcome.

That’s something indubitably nice to hear from a student and perhaps from a teacher and staff perspective too. Students from everywhere and anywhere can really change an environment and with the right staff and help, they can go a really long way and feel really comfortable and free in a school environment.