The buzz of excitement, the scent of new school supplies, and the unfamiliar faces in the hallways—the class of 2028 stepped into high school for the first time with a mix of anticipation and nerves. From navigating crowded corridors to finding their place in the lunchroom, these students are adjusting to a world that’s both thrilling and a bit intimidating. We caught up with a few freshmen to hear their first impressions of what it’s like to finally be in high school.
Renee Gallion (9) was initially nervous to attend high school, but her fears quickly subsided when she realized how much new freedom she had! At the middle school, rules were very strict – you had to walk in the green lines, you couldn’t talk in the hallways, you had to sit down at lunch, and you couldn’t move around the courtyard. But in high school, the rules are much more relaxed. Gallion was particularly shocked by the amount of time spent reviewing the rules and procedures, a ritual that had previously taken days.
“In middle school, the first day of both years, it was like rules and procedures and then the next day was rules and procedures [too]. But this year we had one day for rules and procedures,” Gallion said, “They know that we can handle ourselves now.”
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Another pleasant surprise for Gallion was how comfortable she felt talking to her teachers. At NMS, Galion often felt discouraged from talking after class or joking around with her teachers, so she was excited when she realized she could speak more openly with her teachers at ZHS.
“Everything was so strict in middle school, but now teachers are not ‘teachers’ per say. You can talk to them and have conversations with them and have fun with them,” Gallion said.
Alyssa Anderson (9) had a smooth first day of school. Thanks to the Freshman Only Day, she knew where all her classes were and felt prepared to walk onto campus.
“My first day was actually not that bad,” said Anderson, “Freshman Day helped a lot with transitions between classes, and I have friends in every one of my classes.”
Though she was prepared to navigate around campus, nothing could have prepared her for dealing with upperclassmen. It can be shocking for someone who just came from middle school, where kids are still reading Percy Jackson and bragging about wearing mascara, to suddenly be roaming the halls next to 17- and 18-year-olds.
“My second hour I’m the only freshman. And just seeing [the upperclassmen] around school is a little intimidating,” Anderson said, “They’re so much older, experienced. They may already think of you as the annoying freshman.
Remington Steinberger (9) was overwhelmed by the size of the school on his first day. The map of Foundation Hall is disoriented, the main building is like a maze, there’s only five minutes to get from class to class – it can be pretty tricky trying to navigate these halls for the first time.
“It was pretty confusing,” Steinberger said, “I had to go from Foundation Hall all the way to the VPAC and back to Foundation Hall… it was hard.”
Like his peers, Steinberger was ecstatic to learn that the high school was more relaxed. He laughed as he listed off new privileges not allowed in middle school.
“We got here, and they don’t really care about much stuff… A lot of teachers let you eat in class. You can talk while transitioning… You don’t have to like transition immediately, like you can take a little bit of time,” Steinberger said.
The biggest change from middle to high school for Abigail Reed (9) was how much smaller she felt. She went from being the oldest at the school to the youngest. She’s now suddenly surrounded by older, taller, and bigger kids, which can be intimidating sometimes.
“I felt a little bit smaller. Unlike being an eighth grader in middle school, I didn’t feel that big anymore,” Reed said, “[I was] a little bit intimidated by all the big kids and seniors on campus.”
Additionally, Reed has noticed that she has to work a little harder to keep up her grades. At NMS, teachers would play review Kahoot games before a test and provide study guides, but in high school, students have to learn how to learn and study by themselves. It can feel a little bit like a free-for-all.
“It was definitely a big change, being in eighth grade and having all this help from the teachers… and [now] the teachers are little bit more laid back and it’s more like we have to do it ourselves,” Reed said.
Evan Selser’s (9) biggest fear coming into high school was not having friends in her classes. Thankfully, she was put into many of the same classes as her friends.
“I think it was just really exciting to know that I had some of my friends in some of my classes because I was really scared that I was just going to be by myself, and that was going to suck,” Selser said.
After being in school for a few weeks, her biggest shock was how much independence she and her fellow ZHS students have compared to the middle school. Unlike NMS, high school students can talk on their way to class, bring their phones to school (as long as they’re powered off and out of sight), and walk around campus freely.
“At NMS they would do phone searches just because someone’s phone went off, but like they don’t do that here because phones are going to go off, not everybody powers their phone down,” Seler said, “The teachers [here] are definitely more chill… At the middle school, they treated us like we were basically toddlers.”
As the first days came to a close, it was clear that the freshmen class was already finding their footing in the high school environment. While transitioning from middle school brings challenges, the excitement of new opportunities and friendships is noticeable. With a mix of nervous energy and growing confidence, these students are ready to take on the adventures that lie ahead. If the first day is any indication, this class is well on its way to making its mark in the years to come.
