Moving to a different school halfway through high school is definitely not easy. However, junior Maddie Bates has made the best out of her new transition.

“I have made tons of new friends here,” Bates said. “Everyone was so welcoming and it made adjusting easier.”

Bates has used this move as an opportunity to branch out and make new friends. In fact, she was nominated and won Junior Duchess and is a part of the Homecoming Court.

“Even though she just moved here, Maddie has definitely won over a lot of people with her sweet personality,” senior Sheri Donaldson said. “I do not think she has a mean bone in her.”

One hobby Maddie has is making jewelry and selling it at school. She makes necklaces for her friends with their names on them.

“She sells really cute necklaces,” Donaldson said. “I know a lot of kids are buying them from her.”

She is always seen with her two closest friends, Raeleigh Rhodes and Mackenzie Houston. They enjoy going to a worship service called Girls of Grace and spending the night at each other’s houses.

“Maddie is an amazing friend; she is the type of friend you can always count on and who will always be there to encourage you,” sophomore Raeleigh Rhodes said. “She is like a sister to me.”

Aside from hanging out with friends, Maddie is involved in sports. She ran cross country at her previous school but sat out this year due to injuries and decided to focus on basketball.

“It is great to have her on the team this year,” senior Kayleigh Rhodes said. “She is very encouraging to her teammates and I think that is something that we really needed on the team.”

She is excited to begin her basketball season and play with her new teammates.

“I feel at home here,” Bates said. “The team has become like a second family to me.”