Pine Bush Senior High School

I graduated from Pine Bush High School in the spring of this year, and now I'm a freshman in college. Pine Bush has the potential to be a much better school than it is. I feel as though STEM classes at PB don't prepare students to be competitive at the college level. There's so much administrative and bureaucratic red tape holding both students and teachers back. Oftentimes it seems the administration is out of touch with the students. Great principal, though, he really seems to care about the students at PBHS. There being said, there are some great teachers at Pine Bush, to the point where you'd be hard-pressed to find better teachers elsewhere. Naturally, there are some mediocre teachers. Extra-curricular activities took a hit with budget cuts, it might be a while before we get back a lot of the clubs we used to have, although it's looking optimistic. Speaking of budget cuts, one of the biggest mistakes the administration made was getting rid of the IB program a few years back without replacing it with sufficient AP classes. There are a total of only 5 AP classes available to students, and college classes that are available are getting harder and harder to transfer.

I am not vain enough to say that Pine Bush is the best, but I am a senior this year and everything I have seen and experienced while in this school has changed myself and many others for the better as well as widened our horizons and views of the world. Now when I say horizons, I mean that the teachers and staff help us prepare for life in many ways. College is always a big topic and proper paper protocol began freshmen year for myself. Also, the extra classes available, the numerous clubs and summer programs, as well as the levels in advancement for classes and careers available to us are absolutely amazing. Between all the fantastic courses and varying interests, we still find time to do fun activities to show our school and community pride as well as support our community with many fundraisers and food drivers for various causes and groups. I am proud to say that I am a Bushman.

I recently graduate from Pine Bush, and even though we all say we can't wait to leave and go away, I miss it. There's such a sense of community in the town and a majority of the teachers love their jobs. Of course there are teachers who shouldn't be in the profession, but at PBHS, most of the teachers should be. Pine Bush is a community town and I am so proud of it and to say this is my hometown.

This school, while it has it's downfalls as all schools do, has absolutely amazing programs. We have recently started summer programs in which the students can earn college credits, as well as some high school credits, during the summer. The Science Academy stays at the SUNY Cortland campus in the Adirondacks for a week and learn about the ecosystem and biology of the organisms in the area. The Law and Leadership Academy is trained by a military drill Sergeant for a few weeks while also completing book work. The list goes on. As a student I have encountered, in the staff particularly, some of the best people I feel I will ever encounter in my life. It is truly a wonderful school!