The first day of high school sounds intimidating, yet every student who has lived through it has grown to love it—even though it takes time. High school is the beginning of a new era filled with new experiences, new people and new lessons to empower each student to reach their full potential. Two weeks in, freshmen reflect on their transition from middle school to high school as they get accustomed to the new environment.
The first day of high school for freshmen can be nerve-racking, as they don’t necessarily know what to expect—especially if they don’t have any older siblings that attend WJ.
Middle school differs from high school in multiple areas, such as the lunch policy. WJ enforces an open lunch policy, which is a huge change for freshmen and often viewed as a positive thing, as it allows for more independence.
“Transitioning from middle school to high school is not too different, but there’s definitely more freedom,” freshman Kareem Metwalli said.
Since colleges tend to disregard middle school grades and focus more on high school, the workload becomes heavier and classes and extracurriculars are more career-oriented. As students transition into high school, they begin to think about their future and what they want to do after high school whether that is attending college, the military or entering the workforce.
“Middle school was easier. High school is more important [since] it leads to your future,” freshman Brenda Carrasco said.
A difference new students were not expecting was the size of the building, as they aren’t used to navigating something so big. It is typical for freshmen to get lost the first few days or weeks, and even be late to class because they couldn’t find their classrooms.
“The first day of school I didn’t feel too comfortable because the school is so big. I’m not even comfortable navigating the school now. Maybe in another week,” freshman Melissa Reveody said.
Another downside to the vast size of the school is that because of the large number of students in the school, the space to walk in the hallways shrinks significantly which results in more tardies for many students. In addition to that, freshmen are still adapting to the new school, and on top of struggling to find their classes, the crowding in the hallways delays them even more.
Despite all the anxiousness and the unpredictability, high school can be and is supposed to be not only educational but fun too.
”I’m excited for high school, and all the school activities, especially football games, because I feel like the atmosphere is gonna be very different. But I do miss my teachers and seeing familiar faces,” freshman Charlie Simpson said.
There are countless activities to participate in, clubs to join and people to meet in high school. The transition from middle school to high school can be tough, however, the memories created over the next four years of their lives will be worth it in the end.
