Kinnelon High School: A Look Back

Walking in the hallways of this past year has been, well, a little weird for me.

The last time I was in the school, but only for a few minutes, was when my younger brother graduated in 2007. Before that, I had not been inside the school since my own high school graduation in 2004.

I am proud to be a product of the school system, but, frankly, I never thought I'd be back in Kinnelon, and especially visiting the schools, as frequently as I have to for Patch. However, what has amazed me in what I've seen this past year is how much Kinnelon High School has changed since I went there.

For starters, the school is much, much bigger. I remember at lunch hanging outside sometimes in the back of the school. There wasn't much to look at. But now, the school has an entire extra wing and finished driveway leading to Kiel Avenue, complete with banner flags boasting the school's name leading the way. I must say, this addition is very appealing on the eyes and from behind, Kinnelon High School almost looks like a small college, to me at least.

I was able to walk through the new wing on the . I have to thank the young woman who showed me how to get to the gymnasium through that new hallway-without her I would have been incredibly lost. Even though the wing is new, the appearance of the lockers and colors of the walls and floors match that of the older part of the building, so literally every hallway looks the same to me.

Also new from when I went to school there is the location of the cafeteria. Where the cafeteria now exists was a library in 2004. It must have been a good amount of work to transform a library into a cafeteria, but the end result looks great!

There are many things that are not new about Kinnelon High School. The gymnasiums still look the same (several years later, one of the gyms is still called the "new gym," although I imagine it is not so new anymore), the track still smells the same-not that it's a bad smell (I remember dreading having to run it in gym class), and most importantly, many of the people are still the same.

Several teachers I had in high school are still there now, including Mrs. Kalamaras, Ms. Castro, Mr. Soules and Mrs. Loniewski.

As I've thought about the things that are different and the same about the high school, and as I was reading about entering KHS as a new freshman, I thought about the newness of the school to him and to every new student this year. Someday, maybe they too will be able to go back to the school and take a look around at how the school has changed since they attended.

But for now, I wish them, and all the students of the school and district, a happy and productive year beginning with their first day tomorrow. I know you'll all enjoy it as much as I did.

As part of our back to school coverage, we've got more in store for you this week. Here's a look at what's coming up:

• We'll have photo galleries of the first day of school at Kinnelon Public Schools (Tuesday) and Butler and Bloomingdale Public Schools (Wednesday).
• Recipe writer Cheri Orlando will bring you a recipe for a special meal to pack your kids for lunch.
• You'll be able to take a closer look at the new anti-bullying legislation in effect in school districts across the state and the direct impact it will have on students in tri-boro schools.

Already run: Patchs statewide take a closer look at educational curriculum regarding 9/11 and Tri-boro Patch shares in tri-boro school districts to teach students about the event and the special anniversary. Also, we brought you the in their backpack this week.