Looming lockers, intimidating bullies, big and scary buildings. When you’re in 8th grade, high school seems like a terrifying experience. High school and middle school are very different. With all of the fun high school has to offer, there are also a lot of responsibilities. The transition, while traumatic for some, is not all misery and suffering.

“I was worried about the more work high school had in store,” said Class of 2020 member Vivien Hagy.  “It is a lot different than middle school. I wasn’t ready for all of the work,” Hagy explained.

Even with more work, Hagy said,  “I like high school much better than middle school.”

“High school treats us as more mature and there isn’t as much drama as middle school. Everyone just does their own thing without worrying about anyone else,” said another freshman, Olivia Rice.

That’s not to say middle school doesn’t have its perks. Hagy said, “I miss the shorter classes. High school classes are twice as long as middle school classes.”

Besides the class times, Rice said, “I also miss all of my old teachers.”

When coming to high school, the freshmen had to leave the teachers they had for 3 years.

“I miss Mr. Anzelmo’s class a lot, he was my favorite teacher,” Vance said.

In addition to the work, high school sports are a lot to prepare for.

Another freshman, Amber Vance, said, “The sports require a lot of effort and time. In middle school, the sports weren’t taken that seriously.”

For some students, dealing with sports while managing to get good grades can be stressful at times.

The academic and sport portions of school were a big enough adjustment, but the freshmen also have to meet a lot of new students.

Vance said, “At first it was a little intimidating knowing that I have to be around a bunch of new people, including upperclassmen.”

However, that wasn’t the biggest worry for Rice. “I was very nervous that I would get lost in the school. The high school is much bigger than the middle school, with a lot more people.” After all of that stressing, she didn’t even get lost.

Now, being comfortable in high school, it’s silly to think freshmen were first nervous about the smallest things.

“Looking back on how nervous I was for the first day and how comfortable I am now, it’s crazy,” said Vance.

While high school is rumored to be scary and a huge transition in a freshman’s life, it isn’t as big and life changing as we are led to believe.

“High school wasn’t nearly as big and scary as it is made up to be in movies and books,” Vance explained.