As the new school year unfolded this past September, the Class of 2022 filled the humid halls, scurrying to find their classes. There is no feeling like coming to high school for the first time, especially after being used to the crammed halls of the middle school where everything is easy to find.

While switching to a new building from elementary school is scary, switching from middle school to high school comprises a whole different vibe, a different reputation, and very different expectations. Triton Voice decided to have several freshmen weigh in to hear how they felt the first day versus how they feel now about high school.

“Being lost, the lunchroom, not having the same lunches as everyone else and how to tell which lunch I had,” says freshmen Olivia Rowe and Maddie Nguyen, when asked what their biggest concerns were a week prior to the first day. “I thought I was gonna end up eating lunch in the hallway.”

The week before September 4th, the first day of school brought on a lot of nerves for those who did not know what to expect. High school holds more of an intimidating reputation, and movies about freshmen in high school do not help.

“Going into high school, upperclassmen terrified me,” said Rowe “If you watch movies, you always see freshmen getting stuffed into lockers, and I’m the perfect size for that.”

Upperclassmen know the lay of the land, they know what they can and cannot get away with. They also tend to develop habits that underclassmen never fail to adopt.

“We never knew about the rules when walking down the hallways,” says Sophia Siy.        

“Classes are called different things. Like when I heard someone say singers, I was like what? Chorus?” adds Rowe.

As far as bad habits go, how students manage their work is a big factor. The end of high school often shows the difference in effort that students put in. They often care less towards the end, and that is the mindset that upperclassmen unfortunately passed down.

“Once I got into high school, I think I started caring less because no one really seems to care that much. I started doing work right before it was due,” says Nguyen.

Members of Gen Z have been heavily influenced by the technology that surrounds them wherever they go, and that has affected schools and education greatly. Therefore, it is not a surprise that students are distracted by the one thing they cannot go a day without-their phones.

“I’m much more distracted by my phone now since we are allowed to use our phones in class. So, I use it all day, and that doesn’t help me,” said Nguyen.

“The phone thing is huge” added Siy, “ Sometimes I look up and the teacher is explaining something and I’m like ‘oh.’”

Nowadays, it is common to see people change to better their reputation, especially in high school. Popularity is valued now more than ever for some students. Paige Leavitt explained the changes she noticed within her classmates this past year.

“Our grade was nicer in middle school, but now they’re changing and trying to fit in with upperclassmen” she said.

Looking back on the beginning of their freshman year, these girls all agreed that though middle school was not the worst time of their lives, they would much rather be in THS instead of TMS. Some even said that middle school was harder than high school is for them so far.

If they could give a middle schooler advice, it would be to join any activity, whether its a sport, drama, Bird Club, or even Cribbage Club. They believe that joining a program and getting to know your peers makes school a lot easier.

Maddie Nguyen concluded her thoughts on high school saying that, “In the end, high school isn’t all bad. Although there are good and bad days, school is a place where some of my best memories have happened.”