Inter-school competition spreads beyond sports and clubs. Besides the intellectual and physical realms of such rivalry, some schools soar above others in the friendly, social aspect. Platteview High School is one of these schools, way ahead of the rest of the field. As a smaller school, we have the capability to understand each other in a deeper, better fashion than the gigantic schools and districts in Omaha and Lincoln. Two seniors shared their thoughts.

Stephan George, for example, recalls his experiences at Platteview: “I came to Platteview starting my freshman year. The change was as difficult as it should be. I left the group of friends I grew up most my childhood with, so it was definitely uncomfortable but I came to love the little school I transferred too. The Platteview culture was extremely inviting. The kids were all nice and I knew I was going to enjoy myself at Platteview from the start. My old middle school – which was in the Bellevue School District – had more people than Platteview High school, yet still only 7th and 8th grade. With so many people, it’s easy to see faces you don’t care about or know. At Platteview, it feels more like a community than just a place. You know people. You know their story. You know just about every face you see. That was different for me. It was refreshing. I didn’t make a mistake choosing Platteview over Bellevue West or La Vista South or the other schools I could’ve gone too.”

Kourtney Caniglia related that: “I came to Platteview my freshman year. I came from a small private school which was really strict. The public school culture was very different, but I got used to it very quickly. When I came everyone was super inviting. I knew some of the girls from Jr. Trojans basketball, so that was helpful. The school had a family-like culture where you would be friends with people from all grades. Also, everyone knew each other, which I really liked. I wouldn’t say my change was difficult. It was a nice and much needed change. I am extremely happy I chose Platteview as my high school.”

Due to Platteview’s small population it is much easier to create friendships than other schools. Platteview overall is very accepting of new students and we’re all a close-knit group of people.