Becoming a highschooler is an exciting moment in everyone’s life, but is also one of the scariest experiences.
Josslyn Fuller, freshman, went to the freshman orientation, where student council members guided groups of freshmen and gave them a tour of the school but still struggled to find her classes on the first day.
“I was scared I wasn’t going to know where all my classes were, even though we went over it. The first time that we did a tour, it was so quick. I had no idea where I was going,” Fuller said.
Fuller was initially anxious about having lunch with a mixture of people from each grade. She said she thought the upperclassmen would bully the incoming freshmen, but has come to find out that the upperclassmen are a lot nicer than she thought they would be.
“I didn’t really even think they would know who I am. If we are talking about my whole grade in general, I thought we were all gonna get bullied,” Fuller said.
Like Fuller, Vincent Jones, freshman, also struggled to find his classes the first day. Jones said the student council members helped him a lot during the first few days.
“Bryn Grandon was a STUCO member, and we were kind of friends so she showed me around,” Jones said.
Jones is excited about the opportunities high school has in store. Jones said he is excited about having longer hours this year compared to last. He also said he enjoys longer advisory so he can get more done. Jones was also excited about some new classes that he didn’t have the opportunity to take last year.
“Welding is my favorite class,” Jones said.
Jones and fellow classmate Brooklyn Hornbacher, freshman, were eager to start high school for more freedom. Hornbacher said she was fearful of the amount of homework and stress that comes with being in highschool.
“[Friends of hers] always told me that there was lots of homework and it was super stressful, but so far, it hasn’t been that bad,” Hornbacher said.
Hornbacher said she was nervous for some of the teachers she had this year.
“Everybody told me that Mrs. Rayne was super strict and she would take your phone if she saw it,” Hornbacher said.
Morgan Roth, English teacher, tries his best to be a teacher with classes that people will think are fun. Roth said he tries to ensure that he has a connection with each of his students.
“In some classes I had them fill out info cards that I keep in my desk so that I can start a conversation with them,” Roth said.
Roth said he tries to teach good study habits, time management and makes sure to do the advisory lessons every Monday.
“I try to teach them that they are cared about. [Advisory] is a class where you can have more of a personal relationship with [students], because you have them the longest,” Roth said.
John Meneffee, agriculture teacher, said he likes to make sure that students are able to express themselves in his classroom and this helps him be able to make more connections with them.
Menefee said he loves being able to teach freshmen every year and watching them mature through high school. He said the freshmen he’s worked with this year are more excited to learn than students in the past, which makes him more excited to teach them.
“This year’s freshmen, compared to some classes in the past, in the past are a little bit more dedicated academically,” Meneffee said.
Menefee said he loves being able to watch his advisory become young adults and watch them make decisions for their future.
“Some individuals come into the high school and they don’t really know who they are yet. They discover what interests them, what path they want to go down in life. It’s a fun ride to go on with them,” Menefee said.