Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 139: Beginning of American High School Career

"Thank you, coach." Chen Fang said sincerely.

"Let Ellie bring your girlfriend to report. This is the best arrangement." Bennett said.

As a coach, he was very happy that Chen Fang could make it to the team training week before the preseason. When he heard that Chen Fang's girlfriend attended the girls' school next door, he immediately used his connections to find a Chinese female teacher who could speak Chinese to be responsible for taking Wu Zi to report to school.

In short, Chen Fang was very surprised. The three of them had just returned to St. Louis yesterday and got up early today to come to school.

"You haven't reported to school yet," Bennett asked.

"Yes, I came to you first, sir."

"Mason, Mason."

Soon a red-haired man in his thirties trotted over and said, "Sir, you called me?"

"Take Chen to go through the registration process and get to know the teachers of each subject and the head of the grade."

"Okay." The red-haired man stretched out his hand to shake Chen Fang's hand and said, "Erwin Mason."

"Chen Fang."

"Lu Yun."

After a brief acquaintance, Chen Fang and Lu Yun were taken to the main office building.

It is a five-story ancient square red brick building standing in the center of the campus.

"Let's go and hand over to Mr. Morris, the head of the grade. He will arrange which class you will go to and which teacher will be in charge based on the situation." Mason introduced along the way.

Soon, they arrived at an office on the third floor. Mason knocked on the door and then walked in.

Without waiting for a minute, Mason came out again and waved to Chen Fanglu Yun.

Walking into the office, I found it to be a typical American-style office. There were potted plants on the window side and a wall-mounted bookcase behind the desk. The whole room was decorated solemnly, like an educational place, as it always is.

"Mr. Morris." Chen Fang was the first to extend his hand in greeting.

Lu Yun was quite relaxed, just standing back with a smile on his face.

"I saw your information a long time ago. As early as August, Frank told me happily that our Red Devils team was about to usher in the strongest improvement."

"The double champion of the World Youth Championship, Chen!" Morris is a greasy middle-aged man in his fifties with a Mediterranean hairstyle. He wears a pair of thick glasses. His words sound very enthusiastic, but his tone is very calm, and so is his eyes.

Americans are like this. It is difficult for them to change their inherent thinking before they see your strength with their own eyes.

"Your classes have been chosen, 11-B."

"As for the course, Mr. Spencer Edward will give you detailed instructions. He is on his way here. I want to remind you while you are waiting for him."

"The public security in St. Louis is not good. I hope you will not go too far away from the metropolitan area. If you want to go to the river, try to stay close to the university town. Under no circumstances should you go out at night."

"I understand." Chen Fang nodded.

"You are very careful and chose the Claybrook community which is just a few steps away. This is a wise move. Similarly, there are two international students from China in Class B. You can communicate more with each other."

"Knock knock." There was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

The door opened and a white man with messy brown hair walked in. He saw Chen Fang and Lu Yun and was slightly shocked by their height, so he stopped in his tracks.

"Your teacher, Mr. Edward," Morris introduced.

"Is this my student?" Edward pointed at himself, and after getting confirmation from the head of the grade, Morris, he extended his hand: "Welcome to Class 11B."

"Hello sir, my name is Chen Fang."

"Lu Yun."

After a brief introduction, Edward understood why he was called here. He said to Mason who had been watching, "Are they from the basketball team?"

"Yes, sir," Mason replied.

"Wow, this is the first time I see sports fans from Asia." Edward smiled humorously and waved to Morris: "Then, it's my job next."

"Yes, you can take them away."

Edward walked out first, and Chen Fanglu Yun followed behind. This kind of reporting was indeed cumbersome, but as a student, he was used to it.

After all, Chen Fang and Lu Yun had experienced this once before at Lishan High School.

Edward did not take them to the classroom, but to another room on the second floor.

After entering, Edward relaxed. He swept away the cluttered desk, then sat down with his legs crossed on the table.

Seeing Edward looking very relaxed, Chen Fang and Lu Yun looked at each other.

"Zhou said that you Chinese people actually don't like being restrained. If the other person is very relaxed, you can integrate more quickly." Edward noticed the expressions of the two people and looked at them as if to say, "Did I make a mistake?"

Well, thank you for your effort.

Chen Fang had no choice but to say, "He's right. It really helped us relax."

"Very good, he's on his way. I believe you have common topics." Edward felt relieved. He sat up, took out his IPOD and waved to the two of them, "Some courses require you to choose them by yourselves. I can give you some references."

"ESL course, this is a class that every international student must take." (ESL is a class specially set up for international students in the United States. It is divided into five levels: A, B, C, and D. Pass the test to prove your English level. Level E is equivalent to Grade 4 in high school. This is a must-take test. Many universities have this threshold for international students.)
"ACT comprehensive course, I guess you all want to get into college, this certification is required by most universities in the United States." (There is also SAT1\2, depending on which certification the university you choose requires. In fact, it is the American college entrance examination, a comprehensive test of English, mathematics and reading comprehension, with a total score of 1600 points, and the test time is 3 hours and 50 minutes.)
"Also, you need to choose a sport and an art."

"Also, I would like to remind you that Chaminade is a Catholic school and theology classes are required. Please do not skip classes. You will have to retake them if you miss them." Edward said very seriously.

Judging from his expression, Chen Fang guessed that there must be international students who have skipped classes before. (This is an open conspiracy. Theology classes are essentially preaching, and there are exams. Many Chinese students become different people after going there, which has a lot to do with this class. In addition, all private high schools have theology classes, which are covered by the three major denominations in the United States. Without this chapter of the denomination, the school cannot be opened.)
"Finally, we will start accepting AP course credits in 11th and 12th grades." (AP is a college course. If you see a high school in the United States with the word "preparatory", it means that the high school has AP courses. Usually, such high schools are stronger and are usually only available in private schools.)
(AP courses are required for advanced study. One reason is that the private high school and some universities you attend have this Blue Ribbon certification. As long as you accumulate enough AP points, you can go to this university, which is equivalent to domestic independent recruitment and exemption from the college entrance examination.)
(Also, if you sign up for AP courses in high school, the tuition is very low. If you go to college, it is very expensive, almost ten times more. There are more than 30 AP courses. Very good universities set very high AP scores. You cannot graduate without so many points. This is why American college students have to take out loans to go to college. In addition, when you enter college, you choose your major based on the type of AP credits you have. In short, it is very strong. This is why people in China want to continue their studies in the United States. This is the real thing, especially in terms of majors.)
Chen Fang frowned, and after checking the boxes for art and sports on his IPOD, he asked, "Does AP have to be taken now, too?"

"No, but there's still a week left to sign up, so you need to hurry."

"Okay!" Chen Fang handed the IPOD to Lu Yun, who looked at it and laughed: "You choose painting?"

“Then I’ll choose painting too.”

After hooking it gracefully, Lu Yun handed it back to Edward.

Edward took a quick look and began to prepare teaching materials for them, finally piling them on the table.

He took out the key again: "Everyone has a locker. You can store your clothes there first, or keep them at home according to your class schedule."

There was a knock on the door, and after Edward's approval, a boy with an Asian face walked in.

As soon as he came in and saw Chen Fang and Lu Yun, he was immediately shocked.

"Zhou, you're just in time. This is the new student, Chen Lu."

"Chinese?" Lu Yun asked in Chinese.

"Yes, Shanghainese." Zhou Rui covered his chest and greeted them in a slightly exaggerated manner: "Hello, compatriots."

"It's weird." Lu Yun said to Chen Fang.

"Zhou, take your compatriots to the closet. I'll wait for you in the classroom." Edward signaled that they could leave.

Zhou Rui saw the opportunity and led the two people out. Chen Fang and Lu Yun followed behind him holding the textbooks. Lu Yun got the truth out of them with just a few words.

It turns out this guy has never been to China, but his parents insist that he speak Chinese at home, and he is very sure that he is from Shanghai.

"I guess if his parents were from the mountains, they wouldn't emphasize it so much." Lu Yun muttered quietly. He walked out of the building and walked into the second tallest building entrance, which looked like a No. 5 battery.

There is a large rectangular hall inside, with a black vinyl floor, red wallpaper on one side, and many white tables.

"This is our teaching building. Come, I'll take you to the classroom." Zhou Rui looked very excited, probably because he met his fellow countrymen.

The wardrobes are like those in American movies, lined up on both sides of the corridor, with closed doors.

When he arrived at the 11th grade, Chen Fang opened the door and found that there were long benches and internal partitions around the room. Zhou Rui's voice rang out: "During other classes, we will change clothes inside. There are partitions, and it is very private."

Lu Yun came in and looked around, frowning: "Is the smell so strong?"

"We clean and disinfect every day. Maybe it was just past the disinfection time."

Through the hand keys issued to them, Chen Fang found his own wardrobe, which was no different from that in a bath city. As the Bath Emperor, Chen Fang opened it and took a look. It was very clean and had no peculiar smell.

"What to do next?" Chen Fang asked.

"Oh, we can go to the classroom now." Zhou Rui slapped his forehead. He probably thought that after talking so much, he could ask more in-depth questions, so he asked, "Are all Chinese people this tall?"

"We are the exception." Lu Yun answered lazily. He put his hand on Zhou Rui's shoulder and asked, "How many people are there in the class? Who is the boss?"

"There are 12 people, and if you are included, there will be 14 people." Zhou Rui was a little nervous. He felt that there was something wrong with Lu Yun.

"Where's the boss?"

“I don’t quite understand this word!”

"Just a bad guy, a bad person."

"Ah, no no, there is no bullying in our school."

"Sure?"

"Yes, everyone is very friendly."

"It's so boring." Lu Yun was quite disappointed.

Chen Fang didn't say anything. He came here to study and play basketball, and he was not interested in other things.

The staircase is a double-passage, very old-fashioned structure, but it looks renovated and has a new texture.

After going up to the second floor, Zhou Rui pointed to the left. Because Lu Yun was still holding him, he did not dare to break free. From the brief contact, it could be seen that he was a cowardly person. It was difficult to expect a Chinese American in the United States to have the courage to resist.

The third classroom had a sign with the number 11-B hanging on the door. Lu Yun let go of his hand, and Zhou Rui immediately ran forward a few steps. Then, without standing at the door, he quickly ran in.

I don’t know if I was scared by Lu Yun.

The two men walked in with books in their hands and stood at the door.

Edward was standing on the podium. American classrooms were very small. Chen Fang looked around and saw that the tables were long black tables, shared by several people. There were only three rows of tables. At this moment, more than a dozen people were looking at him curiously.

What surprised Chen Fang was that there was a laptop on everyone's desk.

"This is our new classmate. Come, introduce yourself to everyone." Edward applauded first.

Then, sparse applause broke out in the classroom.

"I'm from China, just call me Lu."

"List."

It was obvious that the two of them didn't want to express themselves, so Edward also tried to smooth things over in due time: "These two students just arrived in the United States yesterday, and they may still be suffering from jet lag."

The humorous words made the classroom atmosphere slightly more relaxed.

"Sir, where are our seats?" Lu Yun felt that his posture of holding the book was too poor and asked impatiently.

"Any empty seat is fine!" Edward was a little embarrassed.

Lu Yun walked straight back to the last row near the window and put the book down.

"Bang." The sound was so loud that everyone looked sideways in surprise.

Chen Fang guessed that Lu Yun wanted to show his power, but he didn't care and sat down next to him.

"Then let's start the class. I'm your math teacher, Spencer Edward." Edward was used to it.

Chen Fang and Lu Yun looked at each other and sighed at the same time.

The miserable student life has begun again.

※※※

The afternoon in American high school is a time for individual activities. You go to different classrooms according to your chosen interests and hobbies.

But there was no painting today, the two were still discussing the lunch.

"This is too disgusting." Lu Yun felt sick, mainly because it was too sweet and greasy.

"Oh." Chen Fang also sighed.

"This won't work. Don't we have a microwave? Let's bring our own food." Chen Fang came up with an idea.

"Who did it?" Lu Yun asked back.

"As for me, I need to eat nutritious meals anyway, and I don't think the cafeteria can satisfy that." Chen Fang had a headache. It seemed that he would have to be busy in the evenings to come.

Thinking that he was cooking for Wu Zi, Chen Fang didn't feel tired.

"Let's go to the gym."

The two walked towards the stadium. Before going there, Chen Fang had already learned that although Chaminade only had 4 people, there were levels of basketball teams alone. Of course, many people signed up for basketball, football, and rugby.

Team 4 is purely amateur, but they also have training and are aimed at students in grades and .

Team 3 is for students in grades 10 and 11, and their level is just that.

These two teams are collectively called the Freshman Team, abbreviated as FT. If someone says he is on the school team, you can ask him what level he is.

Team 2 is very serious and requires a certain standard of assessment. Basically, those who can enter Team 2 are considered to be of good level, and they are also ready to be transferred to Team 1. (The level of Team 345 of 2A is basically the main rotation of the domestic high school national competition, which is not an exaggeration at all.)
This team is also called Junior Varsity Team, abbreviated as JV, which means youth school team.

Team 1 is called the Varsity Team, or VT for short. This is the real school team, and some of its members are recruited and receive scholarships.

(American high school is basically set up like this, 3-4 levels)
Lu Yun has been confirmed, he needs to go to Team 2 to prove himself before he is eligible to join Team 1.

4 levels, corresponding to different activities.

FT means training and sparring, with fewer external matches and limited to nearby communities, with almost no matches to play.

JV has more competitions and practices, and will compete with other teams of the same level within the city. Sometimes, they will also compete on behalf of VT because VT may go to play in intercontinental or national competitions.

VT, the face of the school, represents the school in the highest competition of this level, and his mission is to compete for the state championship.

The gym is divided into three areas. The VT area has stands, and the second team is next door. Lu Yun waved to Chen Fang and went to the JV area with great interest.

Looking at the door in front of him, Chen Fang exhaled and stepped in.

His American high school career thus began.

(End of this chapter)