Principal Adam Beckel took some time to answer some questions about how his year is going so far at Pella High School. 

Q: What is the biggest challenge here at Pella High?

A: One of the biggest things I see students struggle with here is finding time to do everything they’re involved in. So many students are involved in so many things.  They need to find time to be a kid. I also feel like sometimes there’s just that pressure to be the best at everything. 

Q: What’s your favorite part of being at Pella?

A: We have a wonderful staff; there’s a lot of qualified teachers that do a lot of great things for kids. I had a great time at the volleyball game and the football game over in the student section. There’s a lot of school pride and history here in the building with a lot of good traditions in place.

Q: What was your first impression of the students, especially at the assembly on the first day of school?

A: The assembly was a lot of fun, so the first impression I got from the students was they have a lot of Pella Pride. They just seem so proud and excited to be here, and the respect was great. For example, they came in and were throwing the beach balls around, but the second we started things they stopped and engaged. So I was extremely impressed with the pride, respect, and engagement. 

Q: How are the students here different from the students at Lincoln?

A: Well kids are kids, so everywhere you go you always see the same things. But overall, in general, there’s more of a drive to do well and succeed. There’s just a higher percentage of students who do have that drive.