Everyone’s first days of school are different. They change depending on the grade level and which teachers they have. The seniors’ and the freshmen’ first days are drastically different. One is the first and the other is their last first day. A freshman’s first day can be filled with anxiety and complications, while a senior’s first day could be reminiscent and depressing. The comparison is going to be done over both of the grade levels’ first week.
Freshmen are new to high school, they could be timid and confused. They typically don’t know how well the school works when they start and need time to adjust. They would attend different classes in middle school due to it being smaller and less complex. Freshmen also didn’t have HOWL, long lunch Fridays, and late starts either. Seniors, on the other hand, have experience in the school. They’re more confident, knowing how the school works and what they should do to keep up with everything.
Every student’s first days of school are different, and they vary depending on factors such as their grade level, classes, and teachers. The most drastic comparison is between the freshmen and seniors. One’s grade level has their first day, while the other has their last first day of high school. Both grade levels also have different emotions flowing through them. The freshmen tend to be nervous, but excited, some with their 8th grade mentality intact. The seniors on the other hand are more confident and prideful of their school, with a mix of sorrow, as they’re entering adulthood.
We interviewed a few students here at Buena Park about their first days to compare the differences. The interview started with senior Carmen Gerardo, who felt excited about her last first day of school. Carmen believes a pro of Buena Park High School is that “we are very involved.” She says it is very easy to find her classes considering she has been here 3 years already. Currently, her hardest class is AP Literature.
Michael Russello is another senior whom we interviewed. Michael says it’s easy to navigate through the school. He usually takes about 30 minutes to get ready for school, unless he runs late. Although he’s not too fond of the school and says there are too many cons to count, he thinks he “was a little too excited” his freshman year.
The last senior interviewed was Ariel Conriquez. She thinks the teachers and students are nice. She had ease navigating through the halls because of the classroom numbers. She usually takes about 40 minutes to get ready for school. Ariel’s hardest class right now is AP Calculus. “The Pros, I like the people and the classes are good.”
A new freshman named Alexis Villa was questioned about different aspects of her first day. Alexis was asked about whether or not finding her classes was difficult. Her answer included that she took summer classes, so she knew the layout well enough to find her classes. She does Cheer as a sport and said it was an easy way to make friends.
The last freshman we interviewed was Michelle Abarca. She said her first day of high school was pretty good. Michelle was able to find her classes easily by using the signs on the wall. A positive she has of the school is that she “gets to meet a lot of new people”, while the negative is passing through the main hallway since it’s heavily populated.
Overall, both groups of students enjoyed their first days of school despite the difference in grade level. Both grades seemed to enjoy the social aspect of entering the new year.
