The eighth-graders are preparing to enter high school for the first time – as of September, they will officially be freshmen. They enter the high school with their own set of expectations.

“I was really intimidated,” current freshman Rachel Fay said, recalling her emotions last fall. “One of the biggest fears was that I wouldn’t be able to find anything and not have anyone there to help me.”

According to an article from FamilyEducation.com, the social change – from the top dogs to bottom rung – affects their relationships with teachers, upperclassmen and peers. They are plunged into a brand-new environment.

Freshman Carter Pickens shared this concern. “I thought it was going to be really scary…classes far apart and a lot of new people,” Pickens said.

“I was terrified,” said senior Kristen Kocsis of her transition to high school. “The high schoolers were scary and the grades really matter.”

As most remember, the middle school is arranged in houses divided by grade. All of the classes a student takes, with the exception of choir, band and gym, are located within the house, along with their locker. In the high school, however, classes are arranged by subject. Business, technology and language classes are primarily on the basement and first floor; english and social studies on the second; and math and science classes on the third.

Another major change for incoming freshmen is the difference in academics. Eighth-grader Kennedy Sapletal said she is expecting “having too much homework,” and that she was most nervous for finals. “We haven’t taken any real ones yet,” she said.

Sapletal said that the middle school teachers are preparing them for high school academics by “doing the grading system like [the high school] and not letting us retake any more tests.”

Pickens said, “I was worried that the classes would be pretty hard, and when I got here they were less challenging than I thought they would be…I think they [the middle school teachers] did a good job preparing us.”

Teachers were also helpful. “The teachers are really nice and care about their jobs and their students,” senior Sam Murray said.

“Go to the teachers when you need help,” Pickens said. “They always like to help, and they love it when you come in.”

The social aspect of high school was also a common concern among eighth-graders. With movies like Mean Girls and Easy A setting the expectations, high school is stereotyped as catty and shallow. Sapletal said she is nervous about “getting a little bit picked on by the seniors,” but that she is “excited to have classes with the older students.”

Fay advised that incoming freshman “respect the upperclassmen…and be nice to everyone so that if you need their help, they’ll be open to help you.” She said, “I found out that everyone was really helpful and open to new kids. The upperclassmen were really nice.”

“I’m not friends with almost anyone I was friends with freshman year,” Kocsis said. “Hang out with other people, branch out. I was scared until I started playing basketball, and then I started meeting upperclassmen and it got a lot better.”

Murray said that if he could have done things differently, he “would have been more outgoing freshman and sophomore years.” He is most proud of joining speech team and DECA, because it taught him that he is “a fun, outgoing person.” Murray said that the thing he’ll miss most about high school is “the friendships and close-knit community we have.”

Sapletal said the best advice she’s received is to “just relax and don’t be worried.”

“It’s a whole new world, but it’s pretty easy to get the hang of it,” Fay said.

Maddie Mayhew is the Editor in Chief for The Spartan Speaks.
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