As the 2024-2025 school year begins, many are preparing to continue their education to the next level, while others are preparing to leave high school and start a new chapter in their lives. However, some are barely beginning their journey and starting off high school this year — introducing the class of 2028.
“Moving from middle school to high school is definitely an experience because I feel like it’s more engaging because the teachers really know what they’re doing around here,” freshman Landon Tristan said. “Middle school is after elementary, so it’s like a step up, but it has more slackers since people don’t take it as seriously as people do in high school.”
To help the freshman class get accustomed to the school, freshman orientation introduced them to the complex building.
“At meet the teacher there were so many people and you were just trying to navigate, but I wasn’t nervous as I was excited because it’s a new experience,” Tristan said.
Due to the high school being a larger campus with several floors and some classes outside, some freshmen said it is a bit confusing to understand its layout.
“It’s upstairs, down stairs, the whole nine yards,” freshman Maija Clevenger said. “Every single class is in a different location. I wish my classes were together. So the first few weeks are basically kind of experimenting to find the best route.”
Jaylin Cardona and other freshmen are excited to start their career pathways due to how diverse the curriculums are and how many more classes are offered.
“I’m taking the auto basic class and the principles of education,” Cardona said. “I’m taking a class that is going to help me with the career I am wanting. I want to be a teacher.”
The freshman class is not only excited for their electives, but also the core classes due to the various types of curriculums.
“I feel like honors is really more in-depth,” Clevenger said. “Like, I think if I had done, like, OnRamps or something like that it would have been a bit of a struggle. But with honors I feel like it’s just more in-depth instead of different.”
Many freshman athletes like Tristan believe that coaches tend to push them harder to help them grow as not only athletes but as students and people as well.
“The coaches were good [in middle school] but here they push us twice as hard and I really do like that,” Tristan said. “As coaches, they’re really good and help us.”
The freshmen have expressed their gratitude over the past few weeks to their teachers, being grateful how their teachers are understanding and helping them prepare for the next few years of high school.
“I’m doing a lot better in my classes than last year,” Cardona said. “The teachers seem to understand that [we’re] just freshmen and going to have problems finding places, and I feel like they’ve very understanding.”
As the freshmen get accustomed to the ‘high school life,’ they also start to gain important experiences and start off strong with the new chapter in their lives.
“I want to get As,” Tristan said. “I want to do well in sports like football and baseball. I hope to achieve good relationships with my teachers as well and have a good year.”
