Listen up, freshmen! The start of the year is an exciting time and nerves are inevitable — but don’t worry. As seniors and teachers look back on their freshman year, they shared insight from their own experiences.

The school’s programs are good for freshmen to get involved in, according to business, internship and work experience teacher, Jim Anthony.

“I love freshman football. It helps develop a sort of brotherhood — any sport really, as well as any club or ASB,” Anthony said. “They’re a break from the classroom, and give opportunities for exploration, as well as finding a passionate niche.”

Anthony observed this year’s arriving freshmen, reflecting upon how he would encourage his freshman-self.

“I wish for freshmen to be secure enough in who they truly are and confident enough to not look for affirmation from others,” Anthony said.

The start of high school is a time when social, emotional and physical aspects all combine within a student, according to The National Center of Safe and Supportive Learning.

While yearning to become “older,” young students can miss the beauty of leisurely youth.

“They’re on the path to adulthood, but they’re still kids, and there’s lots of fun times waiting to happen,” Anthony said.

For some students, looking back on the start of the school year, they see a completely different version of themselves.

“There’s amazing growth in all four years of high school,” Anthony said. “But, if they take advantage of year one, they’ll find friends that’ll last for the rest of their life.”

For Anthony, the kids he got to know in his school’s weight room before baseball practice are still his best friends 46 years later.

“We start meeting new people than the ones we knew from middle school,” Anthony said. “We see ourselves in them, and it begins to define and add to who we will be.” 

To some, familiar faces can be more of a comfort than often realized. However, new people can bring an irreplaceable connection.

Teaching students with the spirit he remembers well, Anthony gains a whole new perspective on high school.

“If I hadn’t agreed to welcome and help students, I wouldn’t have met such great kids who ended up doing amazing things,” Anthony said.

Opportunities don’t always take the form of joining a team or club. Sometimes it simply means being present. 

“I’ve seen guest speakers change kids’ lives in an hour,” Anthony said. “They ended up exploring something they never knew they liked, and it ended up as their career.”

Peer advice is valuable, especially at this crucial point in life. As Olivia White (12) is becoming familiar with life as a high school senior, she reflects on her past three years at the school.

“I wish I knew that things move at different paces and things change so fast,” White said. “If you ever feel stuck or unsure, that feeling will certainly not be there forever.”

For many, freshman year involves a great deal of growth. In White’s case, she learned the most about herself by observing those around her. 

“I learned that socially, people all react and respond differently to things as well as move at different paces, but understanding each other can go a long way,” White said.

It’s so often asked what the best part of high school is. White shared her own experience.

“The best things in high school are the outside activities like football games, pep rallies and dances,” White said. “Some of the best memories made are when you’re all together celebrating your school.” 

Freshman year can often be the introduction to times of fun and memories. Every student experiences high school differently, often with the common theme of taking memories and lessons along with them. 

“I wish I had taken more time to meet people, especially the upperclassmen I was too scared to talk to,” Sydney Tsai (12) said. 

When lowerclassmen, particularly freshmen, see upperclassmen, it may be easy to get intimidated. 

“I know that some of them would love to help through the high school transitioning process,” Tsai said.

Tsai reflects on the challenges she faced freshman year.

“I was most worried about the deadlines in freshman year. I would unnecessarily stay up hours to perfect a single biology assignment that could have taken 15 minutes with a more effective use of my time,” Tsai said. “Take advantage of freshman year to get your priorities straight, and consider when you work best: mornings, afternoons, evenings.”

Planning out responsibilities and assignments increases productivity, and people are more effective once they start addressing their plan, according to the National Library of Medicine.

With new interactions and opportunities spawning left and right, it’s easy to forget the “old times”. 

“It never hurts to say ‘hi’ to classmates you haven’t seen since elementary school. It doesn’t matter if they seem unapproachable, they could very well be thinking the same about you,” Tsai said. “Reconnecting after a while is always better than pretending to be strangers at the same school.” 

Over 600 freshmen entered the school this year. Between new interactions and experiences, there are many opportunities for freshmen to find their place on campus.