For some students, starting school may be scary, especially if it’s a new environment. On top of that, entering the first year of high school can be fun yet nerve-racking, from finding classes and walking up and down the stairs, to slow walkers and navigating the distance and time between classes.
Transitioning from middle school to high school can be very frightening, and there are some outlining differences between the two. For example, there is a heavy workload that teachers require their students to finish. Freshman Imani Mason had thoughts and opinions about the key differences between middle and high school.
“In middle school, we had so much more leeway, and they also didn’t grade as hard as high school does,” Mason said. “It’s just more homework than usual. In middle school, we didn’t even get homework.”
Entering the first six weeks of high school was a time for the freshmen to make new friends, meet their new teachers, learn the A/B schedule, and get their first round of grades in. Freshman Kambel Grimes shared her excitement and point of view of how her first six weeks went.
“Socially, the first six weeks were amazing! I made a lot of friends and got to see my old sophomore friends again. Academically, it was a struggle at first, but I got it,” Grimes stated.
The first six weeks promised a lot of opportunities for the new students to break out of their shells and do something adventurous. Freshmen could join new clubs and experience high school for the first time. Freshman Maya Morisano expressed how she felt about the first six weeks, why it took her time to adjust to all of the new changes, and the key difference from her neighboring middle school Danny Jones.
“It was a bit stressful, and I was very nervous at first,” Morisano stated. “It’s a new school, with three stories, and Danny Jones was only one, so I didn’t want to get lost.”
Incoming freshmen are now allowed to take AP classes. This calls for more work, dedication, and sometimes balance between school and the outside world. Most of the time, it’s two times the work that most freshmen are even required to do. Grimes stated how she feels about the work given to her.
“It’s definitely different. Even though the work is split, it’s more difficult especially since I am in Advanced and AP classes, and some teachers assign work and expect it to be done the next day, like I don’t have other assignments and classes,” Grimes stated.
The first six weeks weren’t just nerve racking for the freshmen but also for the freshmen teachers. They met all of their new students, built first impressions with them, and had to make their classrooms welcoming, just like 9th grade Biology Teacher Carissa Dazey conveyed.
“They were excited to be here and they were willing to work together, it was like there was genuine excitement about their first day of high school.” Dazey stated. “I try to make biology fun, and I don’t make them sit the whole class period. We get up and do things.”
Now that students are officially in the second six weeks of school, many of the freshmen have started to get accustomed to how the school functions. Dazey stated how she thinks the rest of this semester and next semester will be.
“I think as long as they just maintain the same attitudes that they had coming in, that this is a new experience and it’s different, and they are willing to be open to new things, I think it’s going to be a great semester,” Dazey said.
The first six weeks brought some aspects of excitement and nervousness, but it also packed in good knowledge, first time experiences, getting adjusted to a new school and rules, and meeting new people. Overall, freshmen had many different experiences, but when it comes to the first six weeks, it was an experience that enhanced their minds.