For most incoming freshmen and Design Academy students, CHS brings a brand new group of unfamiliar faces – but students must often leave behind hometown friends in the process. Attending CHS causes many students to grow apart from their hometown friends. Students said that not seeing those friends daily has hurt their friendships.

“Some of the people I was best friends with back then, I don’t really talk to anymore. I am still friends with them, but I’m closer with people here,” sophomore Maeve Miller of Brielle said.

Some students keep in touch with their hometown friends through sports and other school activities at their home high school. Design Academy student and senior Tara Sullivan of Howell stays in touch with hometown friends through color guard.

“I do color guard at my home school… I actually went to my home school for two years and then I came here for two years,” Sullivan said. “I’m the color guard captain there, so I have a lot of friends in marching band and in color guard.”

Leaving hometown friends can be a deciding factor of whether or not to attend a MCVSD school for some students such as freshman Brigid McCarthy of Manasquan.

“Hometown friends were definitely a really important part of my decision of almost not going to CHS because my best friend goes to another school and I’ve never had to go somewhere else without her,” McCarthy said.

At first coming to CHS can seem like a brand new world of unfamiliar faces. Despite this, attending CHS broadens students’ horizons to friendships all throughout Monmouth County.

Sophomore Sally Ehlers of Little Silver said, “I miss my home school but I’ve made a lot of new friends here at CHS.”