Once the clock struck 3:15 on June 9, 2022, the class of ‘26 was officially out of middle school, and their journey to high school finally began. Once school ends, most 8th graders are relieved to have finished their middle school years and to leave behind old classmates and teachers. Some are thrilled for this new chapter, while others aren’t. Some are nervous about the new experience, going into a bigger school where there are more people that you may not know. But for the most part, students are excited for the new experiences and the freedom high school has to offer. Exiting middle school and entering high school serves as a fresh start, but now it makes the incoming 9th graders the youngest of the school, unlike previous years where they were used to being the oldest.

   With this new chapter comes more responsibilities, such as the classes that are required in order to graduate, which may put some stress on incoming freshmen. In particular, these requirements force students to feel more like adults and less like kids. However, there are other things that come with high school than just more responsibilities.

   One benefit of going into high school is the opportunities to get involved and showcase your school spirit. Students may be offered intern opportunities where they may receive volunteer hours, helping them learn while helping others. Furthermore, there are more clubs offered in high school than middle school because of the diversity in ages and maturity levels. Also, students have more choices for electives, and other freedoms overall, such as where to eat lunch. Many freshmen have some thoughts on this new stage in their lives.

“My first day of school was good. I like that I’m able to see all my friends in school and be able to socialize in school.” – Freshman Mehki Adams

“In high school we have more freedom than what we had in middle school. Especially at lunch when we can sit wherever we want and talk with a variety of students in different grades which I like a lot. When I was in middle school, I only had lunch with a few 7th graders as an 8th grader. It’s a lot of trust they put into us and also responsibility to allow us to have lunch with others besides only two grades.” – Freshman Julianna Perez

“My first few weeks have been pretty good. Lunch has been very fun and meeting new people and being friends with new people has also been really good.” – Freshman Anastassia Anzola

“My first weeks of high school were somewhat how I imagined and [expected it to be]. However, it’s overwhelming having all those new responsibilities and when you actually experience them they feel a lot different.” – Freshman Isabella Escudero

“The first few weeks of school for me were surprising and not what I expected high school to be. But, I am glad that I got to meet with my friends again from other campuses.” – Freshman Christopher Hutchinson

“It was a change at first but after the first week I really liked it , especially because of how much more freedom there is.” – Freshman Lauren Pfeiffer