The incoming freshmen all had very different opinions of what their first thoughts of high school were, but some agreed that it was better than middle school.

  Freshman Maggie Kinna feels that so far she is enjoying high school.

  “I like high school because my teachers are nice to me, and the workload isn’t hard right now…

It is a lot better [than middle school] because it makes me feel like I’m getting somewhere, like I’m preparing more for the future,” said Kinna.

  On the other hand, freshman Luke Immel does not feel like it is much of a change at all, other than the school lunches.

  “It’s too much like middle school. It’s the same thing everyday… I don’t really like it… It’s better [than middle school] because the lunch is pretty good, not gonna lie. You have salad bars, tacos, iced tea… It’s lit,” said Immel.

  Freshman Virginia Good stands in the middle, just trying to find her way around and has not really developed a solid opinion yet.

  “I’m not sure if I like high school or not. My main feeling of high school is best summed up by ‘I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m really trying my best…’ I definitely like high school more than middle school even despite my general confusion. I like that we are given more choice and freedom… we can carry our backpacks with us rather than having to struggle with a locker. I’ve walked past my locker once so far this year; it’s nice,” said Good.

  Good feels that upperclassmen should realize that freshmen aren’t really all that different from them, and there is no reason to call them out.

   “We’re not all awful, little gremlins. Most of us, sure, but not all… We’re just trying to blend in and survive like the rest of you,” said Good.

  On the other hand, Immel thinks that the stereotype is accurate, and he would feel that when he is an upperclassman he would treat freshmen with a similar attitude, so the upperclassmen have earned the right to do that.

  “I think that it’s true …because we’re really annoying, not gonna lie. I mean, it’s not nice, but I agree with it in a way,” said Immel.

  Oftentimes, what makes or breaks freshman year are the interactions with other grades and the school environment. Most of the freshmen seem to be pleasantly surprised by how they have been treated so far this year.

  Kinna felt that people were positive and helpful, especially when she was walking through the halls.

  “I actually feel like they’re treating me pretty well, like some of them even say hi to me in the hallways. The sophomores do because I have some friends who are sophomores, but then this junior or senior who I don’t know said hi to me in the hallway, and it made me really happy,” said Kinna.

    Good feels very similarly, but she is more glad that she has just been mostly left alone.

  “Before school started I heard time and time again that freshman are the scum of the earth and hated by all. I’m pleasantly surprised that I’m generally invisible… No one has called me out for my freshness, at least not to my face, and I’m glad to stay relatively ignored. In other words, my older classmates aren’t as scary as I was told,” said Good.

  Another big part of being a freshman is participating in the Link Crew days.

  “They can get a little boring, but they’re still fun in the end…. so I like them,” said Kinna. “They [the Link Crew leaders] were really nice. They did everything they needed to, and I felt like I learned a lot, and I learned my way around the school, and it made me a lot less nervous and feel more accustomed.”