To be honest, I’m a pretty nervous person. And with things being the way they are this year, it has made that worse. But what I can say is that my need to know all the information about whatever situation I’m in has been taken care of. The district has been able to provide the information that I, and other peers, have needed to feel a little more comfortable in this situation. Though I cannot say I speak for everyone, which is why I decided to ask someone with an outside perspective.
“I've only been a freshman here for about two weeks so my experience might not be as credible, but this school is incredible to me. The staff and teachers have been extremely helpful and welcoming, other students and upperclassmen have been extremely kind to me and I haven't been afraid to ask questions. The education is wonderful in my opinion, I’m retaining everything and my teachers are amazing. I love how open the classrooms are to voicing students' opinions. I also love how accepting this school has been, when I made it known to about 2 or 3 teachers that I went by B instead of Abigail the next day everyone was calling me B. It's pretty terrifying being a freshman, even more so coming into the school halfway through the year, and I've had some doubts, but I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I'm excited to spend the rest of my high school years in Hinckley Big-Rock.”
I would like to give some quick advice to next year's freshmen. It is very overwhelming at first, especially with switching to a new building. But something I failed to realize my first week or two, is that everyone is so willing to help, especially teachers. Don't hesitate to ask about things when you don't understand.
It’s scary sometimes, but in the long run, if you reach out for help, you will be greatly benefiting yourself in the future. Personally, I am terrible at math, and I waited to ask for help until I couldn't understand anything, and that prevented me from getting the grade I wanted. Though I know a lot of people aren't motivated by grades, which is why you should also be aware that you can ask for help mentally. Not everything is about grades, I promise.
A lot of times I think about what I wish people had told me before I entered high school. One of my cousins told me that high school was similar to middle school, but that just wasn't the case, at least for me. I went into high school thinking that everything would remain the same as middle school. There are so many more things at the high school, and I highly encourage everyone to branch out and try things you think you might not like. For me, that manifested by me joining a club. I don't normally join clubs as it always seemed like too much extra work on top of school work. But if you choose a club like the library club that only has meetings once a month, it makes things more manageable. And from there, you can slowly step out of your comfort zone more and join more things.
All things considered, don't worry too much. And if you're like me and feel the need to have all the information you can about a new environment, ask questions. The people in the high school are always willing to help.