High school is one of the most important times of our lives, and stepping into it can sound scary and totally out of our comfort zone at first. The freshmen at AHS conquered the beginning of this milestone a few weeks ago, and for some, it was extremely nerve wracking. 

Freshman Sarah Chao stated, “There were so many new changes that we had to adapt to.” Another freshman, Gwyneth Ngo, said it was a “hard transition from middle school.”

One of the many concerns that the freshmen had was the workload compared to what they got in their middle schools.

“There were many things I wasn’t used to,” Gwyneth admitted, “For example, having multiple tests and learning the chapters on my own.” 

Sarah agreed with this statement, saying that the most daunting part about entering high school was probably “the increase in the amount of homework.”

On the other hand, a portion of freshmen disagree with this concern, stating that the workload was not as bad as they expected it to be.

Freshman Angelina Liu stated that the workload was, for the most part, manageable. “My friends have always expressed the difficulties of transitioning into high school and adjusting to the amount of homework given, but I learned how to manage my time well,” she contrasted. For some, time management is a skill that is extremely difficult to acquire. In regards to workload, Sarah declared that it doesn’t get that bad after you “eventually get used to it over time.” 

All of the freshmen interviewed, however, agreed that high school was made a lot better with the influx of new friends. 

“Meeting new people and making new friends made everything more fun and exciting,” Sarah admitted.

Despite being around unfamiliar people, Angelina stated that because they “shared the same anxiety and excitement that I felt,” she was able to bond with these new people easily. 

“The campus and people I met were really nice and very welcoming,” Gwyneth pointed out. “The people around me helped make my first week good.”

Although the first week at high school was bad for some and good for others, most of the freshmen can agree that they are excited and nervous for the upcoming years of being an Apache.

“My first week was a good experience overall,” Angelina concluded. “I adjusted pretty quickly to the people that were in my classes… It taught me a lot and I’m excited for the school year ahead.” 

The best of luck, Apaches! Have a great four years at AHS! 

Graphic Courtesy of Randy Dugay