Being in a new place is hard, especially when you are the youngest and the smallest. Incoming freshmen share the same experience every year; getting lost, confused, trampled, and teased. They have tons of questions that are never answered, including where to go when and how to get there.
At RHS, freshmen are still walking around with furrowed brows and frowned faces. They want to know what clubs to join and what to do at pep rallies and the older students have the answers.
“Why don’t people use lockers?” freshman Anna Adhikari said. Most students do not use their lockers and some do not even know where they are. This is because students can carry their backpacks around the school, unlike at Wood MS. Lockers are unnecessary, especially for upperclassmen who have cars.
Many freshmen are concerned whether they will make a sports team if they try out. Since RHS is a smaller high school, it is likely that most students who are interested will at least make JV. Very few sports make any cuts at all due to lack of participants.
Freshman Aidan Brami said, “I should have done the golf team, but I didn’t know when tryouts were.” All tryouts are posted on the Rockville athletics website, which can be found through the RHS homepage. Additionally, students can find information by talking to other students who play or by talking to the coach directly.
Other students are confused by the layout of RHS. Freshman can get confused or lost walking up and down staircases. “If I switch what staircase I walk up I get confused and lost,” freshman Renzo Ferruzo said.
RHS halls can be like a dark scary jungle for new students, with some stairwells going to the third floor while some only go up to the second floor. A map included in the agenda book could be very beneficial for students like the ones at Wood MS.
English teacher Brian Annear said he brought his students to lab 1001 on the first level and they were all on time. He believes that drawing a map the previous day showing where the lab is was helpful.
“[Freshman should] form positive relationships with their teachers a certainly their peers,” Annear said.
Positive student teacher relationships are vital in the school environment. Students should be able to trust their teachers and feel comfortable enough to ask them questions about class and the school in general.
Asking other students especially upperclassmen questions can also be helpful. “I have some sophomore and junior friends that help me around the school,” Aiden KIalinock said. He claims getting lost was not an issue for him this year.
Freshman should make the best of their first year at RHS they should go to all the football games, cheer at pep rallies, attend homecoming and other events, meet new people, join clubs and sports, work hard and do their best to have a good year to start off their next four.