For anyone, the first day in a new place is nerve wracking. From what to wear to who you will see, no one knows what to expect, and school is no exception.

Freshmen who walk in on the first day of school are usually scared about the huge change in their lives and are in search of a familiar face or someone to reach out and help them. Although the freshmen get to experience the first day of school before it actually happens through freshman orientation, they still tend to feel lost and confused on the first day.

The debate whether freshmen need freshmen orientation is not a tough one as administrators, teachers and freshmen say they do, for many reasons. “Orientation is beneficial for the freshmen because it allows them to get to know the building, their classes and teachers. Orientation also allows the freshmen to hear experiences from the Patriot Ambassadors about high school and have people they already know, on the first day,” freshmen Administrator Jaclynn Lightsey said.

Meeting teachers at orientation instead of on the first day of school does not make a big difference because the overall experience will be the same, but the main goal of freshman orientation is to get the freshman introduced to Patriot Ambassadors, who will be a familiar face on the first day and throughout their high school experience. “Although meeting teachers at orientation is not necessarily more helpful than meeting them on the first day, freshmen need orientation because they can get a tour of the building, meet classmates and most importantly they can learn about and meet Patriot Ambassadors,” freshman math teacher Miim Kwak said.

Freshmen can judge for themselves whether or not they need orientation and say that they do, emphasizing that entire experience was helpful. “Freshmen need orientation because it makes them feel more confident going into the school year since they already know where their classes are,” freshman Nikki Altman said.

What matters most is making freshmen feel comfortable and confident in themselves when the first day of school comes around. Freshman orientation will continue to be a day to help educate them on what to expect on the first day of school and the rest of their first year of high school. “Orientation was really helpful because I got to meet all of my teachers and the people in my classes before school actually started. I also learned my way around the school. This made me feel a lot more confident and less nervous for the first day,” freshman Josh Erd said.