Danny Smith, senior, still recalls the initial scare of his first days at KHS. Coming from Mary Queen of Peace, he knew very few of his classmates and did not know what to expect at his new school.
“I was ‘that kid’ first day of freshman year. The cafeteria—that was awkward. I just sat with some kids I kind of knew from my first hours. Glad that’s over, actually,” Smith said.
Now, it is difficult to find a senior who does not know Smith. Senior class president, varsity linebacker, musical performer, ultimate Frisbee captain, member of DECA and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen—Smith has embraced many of the opportunities KHS has to offer, joining several of these extracurriculars as recently as junior year.
The challenge of adjusting freshman year was difficult, as Smith did not have a strong idea of what he hoped to accomplish and get involved in.
“There was definitely something that I didn’t want to become—things I wanted to stay away from, and I kept that in mind, but really I just wanted friends and fun people to hang out with,” Smith said.
Faced with more challenging classes his sophomore year, Smith focused most of his attention on schoolwork and football, but as he became more accustomed to the bustling halls of Kirkwood, Smith began to notice a change.
“Mid-sophomore year I really started to become comfortable with the people around me,” Smith said. “After you get comfortable with your classes and your school and start to recognize people and get to know everyone better, it becomes a lot easier to be yourself.”
With more confidence and a desire to get involved, Smith continued to throw himself into Kirkwood’s opportunities junior year.
“Most things I do now I started just last year when I got a lot more comfortable and more involved just by signing up for things—fun things that I’m good at and like to do,” Smith said.
Among these new activities was class office, which he was encouraged to run for by a close friend.
“I actually ran for class office junior year sort of by accident. I ran with a friend, and we ended up getting third place and becoming co-secretaries,” Smith said.
Although he enjoyed class office, Smith did not plan to run senior year until approached by his grade level principal, Mike Gavin. Now he recognizes the encouragement to run ended up
putting him right where he needed to be.
“It wasn’t really a goal of mine to become class president, it all just sort of happened after I started doing what I wanted to do and being myself and doing what makes me happy,” Smith said.
Beginning as a frightened freshman and learning to be comfortable with the person he is, Smith has discovered the importance of getting involved and making the most of your time at KHS.
“I’ve learned through high school that there are so many people everywhere around here,” Smith said. “It’s really a shame to not be able to get to know every single person in depth, because everyone is awesome in their own way. There are so many opportunities here at Kirkwood that if you choose one, you feel like you miss out on all the others and you wish you could be doing everything at once, and it’s just not possible.”
