Meet Marc and Paul Smith, identical twin students who attended Hough High School before coming to CSD. In their spare time, they love being involved in politics, global affairs and current events. They hope to make this a bigger part of the Spartan culture in the future. They are also dual citizens of the U.S and Switzerland which gives them a better perspective on world events.

Paul’s initial upon starting at CSD showed surprise and uncertainty.

“The Community School of Davison is very different from a traditional NorthCarolina public school. Being a charter school CSD has autonomy from the local county school district and has the ability to design its own curriculum,” he said. “It came as a surprise that we got into CSD because of the more than three thousand (all school) long waiting list.”

“We were preparing to go back to Hough when we heard that we had gotten into CSD,” he said. “Originally we weren’t sure that going to a new school in the junior year was a good idea but after considering the academic advantages that CSD offers we decided to give it a shot.”

The first few days were eye-opening. 

“There are many differences between Hough and CSD, the most noticeable one being the size of the student body. This means that class sizes are smaller at CSD,” said Paul. “The people were friendly and we felt welcomed after our first couple of days.”

As for friends, Marc said, “I still miss my friends at Hough but I’m looking forward to making new ones at CSD. The friendly people have made me feel comfortable at a new school. Learning lab and jumpstart are great opportunities to meet new people around the school.”

They both agree there is a noticeable difference in the day-to-day classes between the two schools. 

“For starters, CSD classes are way smaller; most classes have around or less than twenty students in them. Hough almost always has more than twenty-five students in a class,” Paul said. “This lets the teacher have a more personalized lesson for you and there is more time to help students. Also, most classes are more relaxed on late policy and most teachers leave it up to the students to be on time. This is a great lesson in responsibility.”

What else stands out to them? 

“Well, school starts later at 8:05 compared to the brutally early 7:15,” Paul said.

“And learning labs, too. ‘What are learning labs?’ I wondered when I first got to CSD,” said Marc. “Learning labs are free, open blocks where you have time to do whatever you want. You can work on homework, class work, study for a test, or socialize.” 

In conclusion, they both have been impressed with how CSD is structured and the environment in the school itself. They also enjoy its unique vibe.