Freshman year: A whirlwind of new classes, faces, and a seemingly endless amount of homework. The first weeks of high school can be overwhelming for anyone and it can feel like you’re constantly having to swim upstream (sometimes literally; shoving your way through 10-foot tall seniors). But over time, these little fish find their way in the current and assimilate to the high school way.
As time goes on, freshmen have also caught onto some of the tricks when it comes to enduring hard classes and strenuous work. “I’ve learned that it’s more important to study and stay focused during class compared to middle school because the work has gotten a lot more challenging,“ freshman Sachin Krishna-Rogers said.
With one semester under their belts, freshmen have learned the importance of failure and that not everything comes easy, especially in the beginning. “Freshman year hasn’t come along easy for me. In the beginning, I was scared because of all of the quizzes, but over time I learned how to manage stress,” freshman Nicole Jezek said.
Freshmen have also integrated themselves into the community, and have figured out how to balance their workloads with their social lives. “Being a part of poms has helped me to create friendships I otherwise wouldn’t have, with people I now can’t imagine not having in my life. It also taught me how to prioritize my work,” freshman Jenna Siman said.
Another skill the freshmen have developed is how to manage their time. “I had to learn how to get more organized and manage all of my work on top of going to practice,” freshman Emily Levine said.
The development and progress from the beginning of the first semester to now has been remarkable for the freshmen, and they aren’t the only ones noticing the changes they have made. “They’re much better writers and give me multiple examples and more complete thorough answers and seem to know how to study more,” honors biology teacher Jennifer Mockensturm said.
This year’s freshmen have come a long way since the beginning of the year, and only plan on moving forward. “Coming into a new school, not knowing what to expect, I was really nervous. But now, I feel like if I can get through those first rough months I can use the new knowledge I’ve gained, and only have space to improve as an individual,” freshman Samantha Keller.
Freshman year goes by in the blink of an eye. One minute you’re getting ready with your friends for your first homecoming, and the next you’re signing up for classes for next year. Time flies when you’re growing, drowning in homework, learning, laughing, and seizing each opportunity that high school offers you. Sit back and enjoy the ride, even with one year of school almost complete, there is still much to learn and experience.
