Welcome to Hunters Point Community Middle School!

By Ima Valledor

Hi, I’m Ima and I’m a new student at Hunters Point Community Middle School as of February. It has been really hard transferring schools mid-year and leaving my old friends, but then I realized that I am entering a fun and welcoming community filled with new and kind peers. 

The first thing that you might be wondering about is how this school might be different from yours or any of your former schools. Well, one thing that was different to me was the fact that this is a public school, so this has been a very interesting experience, because my whole life I’ve been going to private schools.

Another thing that stood out was the no uniform policy. That to me is super awesome because it gives everybody a chance to express their feelings and show their own unique style. Something new at this school that I like is that if you’re about 25 minutes early, you can eat breakfast or hang out with your friends at the cafeteria before heading off to class. One of the major changes was the everyday use of lockers. Personally, this change is extremely helpful to me because I don’t have to carry my books and I have a place to store my stuff. This school has a lot of other additional and functional perks.

The next thing that I want to break down about this school are the vital details that could help you get through the day. One example of this would be getting to school by or before 8:15 am, because if you don’t you will be marked late and miss time to go to your locker. There is also a free lunch and an afterschool program. The school lunch changes daily and serves foods like mozzarella sticks, hamburgers, etc. The lunch is eaten in two different cafeterias depending on your grade. Once you finish your food, you can go out onto the terrace or the library. To do this, you need a booth pass. You can get a booth pass by arriving on time to school or not getting a dean referral. HPCMS has a variety of extracurricular activities that you can join, which includes theater, dance, film, volleyball, robotics, and chess. etc. I am also in the afterschool program called 82nd street. The after school program contains different classes lead by various 82nd street counselors. If you need to know any extra information about the school or if you are considering joining HPCMS or maybe you are already in this school and would just like to get to know it a little better, than you can contact our principal, Ms. Goodman.

Another topic I want to cover is really important and it’s about each class and how they work. The first thing I want to explain is CD and advisory. In CD you either join a group like debate and the school blog or you are in a small reading group. I enjoy blog very much because you get to express your feelings about anything that you want; it ranges from politics to the cutest puppies. However, I don't know much about debate but all my friends enjoy it very much, and they love to attend all the tournaments too. Advisory happens every Friday and Monday and you can join one of the many teacher’s advisory classes. Advisory is a period that gives students a chance to learn about health and get to find a common ground between

Now I want to go over the main focus classes including ELA, Science, Math, and Social Studies. Once you come to the school you will be assigned a homeroom, which determines which class you go to first. You do not have to bring any supplies on the first day, the teachers will provide you with any notebooks, folders, and class reading books that you will need everyday. This school also has classes including music, gym, and art. In the beginning of the year two classes have art and the other two have music. In February they switch, this way the students can experience both. In the end of those two special classes, they hold a show or performance to show the parent or guardian of the child their work and creations.

In the end, the students get a good education that includes fun challenges and projects.