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I selected the Law and Justice Academy at Granite Hills High School, but I had knownI would make this choice since I was fifth grade .

People look at many factors when choosing a high school. They look at the environment, the students, the faculty, career pathways, and other factors. I really only looked at the family aspect. My older sister, Christina, attended Granite and had no regrets, and my dad works here, so those two people had a big influence.

I also looked at the comfort aspect. I had visited and spent an average of four school days a year on the Granite Hills campus going from class to class with my sister or dad since 1999 when the school opened.

I grew to know the staff and see what high school life was like. I grew to feel comfortable at Granite because I knew where everything was. I knew teachers and some students. I thought transitioning into high school would be easy with a situation like this.

On the other hand, if I had gone to my home school of Porterville High, I would have felt more nervous because I knew none of the faculty; I had no idea where anything was; and I knew only the few people from Springville who would attend Porterville High School.

Another aspect that I liked when I chose Granite was the size. I came from Springville School, the small, country school in the mountains. I was nervous about going to a high school with a large student body. I was afraid I would get lost in the crowds and lost in the classes. I wanted smaller classes and not as many people, so that I’d feel more at ease.

I think that students coming from Springville would feel the same way. They would find the atmosphere of Granite Hills similar to that of Springville School, but larger and more relaxing.

Victoria Paz, a freshman from Springville School has similar views, “I like Granite Hills because when I first came everyone was really friendly and it was easy to find my classes. I chose Granite because it has a small campus like Springville and I thought it would be easy to adapt to. The teachers actually care and try to help you and work with you.”

Springville students are not unique to this situation. Other small schools in the outlying rural communities of Porterville have the same situation: Carl Smith Middle School, Sunnyside, Alta Vista, Hope, and Pleasant View. These small, kindergarten through eighth grade, schools are far removed high school life, small in student population, and country in atmosphere, much like that of Springville School.

Kyle Norman, a freshman from Carl Smith Middle School, chose Granite for similar reasons, “It’s not much of a difference coming to GHHS. It’s [Granite] a smaller populated high school, just like CSMS. I love going to smaller schools simply because you know more people and become closer with the people and staff. Rather than a community, it’s more of a small family. You grow to learn and care about absolutely everyone.”

To learn more, visit Porterville Unified School Distric's Career Pathways.

Photo Above:Jed Hackett and Victoria Paz, two Law and Justice Pathway students from Springville School. (Photo By Maria Corona)

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