Walking through the doors of Lakeland High School (LHS) as a student for the first time is something many don’t forget.
Everyone awaits the day they begin freshman year. Some have a positive attitude, others not so much. Which is understandable, being a freshman can be intimidating.
From being the lowest grade on campus to not knowing what to expect, the odds aren’t really in their favor.
But, freshman year is what shapes many high schoolers. It is a pivotal moment because students are able to figure out who they want to be.
From deciding which sport or extracurricular is the right fit to which friend group is missing a puzzle piece.
There’s a place for everyone and sometimes that can be a scary thought when being in a new place.
With new places comes new fears, such as getting lost, not being able to find classes, or even just trying to get through the day.
Some were even afraid of not being able to make friends.
Piper Garwick recently transferred from STEM Charter Academy to LHS for her freshman year.
Since she didn’t attend middle school with everyone else, she was worried about making friendships since she would be the new girl in class.
However, joining the LHS cheer team gave her a leg up in not only making friends in her class but also with upperclassmen which made the transition much smoother for Garwick.
But what about the transition from being in middle school to high school?
This can be a dramatic and sometimes harsh change for students.
“Not everything is in one hallway which makes it way harder to find everything,” Rylie Avriett said.
While some found the hallways confusing others found that there wasn’t really a change at all.
“To me it wasn’t really a huge change since I was all over the place in middle school,” Bailey Haag said.
To no surprise, most of the freshmen think that high school is quite the upgrade.
“High school is so much more fun, everyone is more welcoming, and the teachers are way nicer,” Garwick said.
Since the freshman’s fears have been addressed, their new found love for high school also needs to be expressed.
“I am already loving off campus lunch,” Alexa Etheridge said.
Which is a new opportunity for this year’s freshman since past freshman classes have had to stay on campus while everyone else left.
Haag and Avriett expressed their excitement for all the opportunities that come with being a high schooler. From attending Friday night games to assemblies they are ready to take on the school year’s activity agenda at full force.
Which goes along with what these freshmen hope to see in the coming year.
“I cannot wait for Battle for the Paddle,” Avriett said.
While Avriett is ready to take on Sandpoint in the biggest spirit battle of the year, Garwick cannot wait to see what the rest of the year’s dances bring.
“I am so excited to be able to participate in all the school events I heard about as an eighth grader,” Etheridge said.
But is high school the way they expected or less of the fairy tale it can be chalked up to be.
“Yes, because it’s super fun and exactly what I thought public school would be like,” Garwick said.
“It was exactly what I thought because I figured there would be a lot of opportunities to meet new people,” Haag said.
For some it was exactly what they thought but for others not so much.
“I was expecting it to be way more scary, it still was, but now that I’m here it’s not so scary anymore,” Avriett said.
