Freshman Vs. Seniors: Their Take on the First Week of School

During the first week of school, four freshman students—Caleb Elmore, Mackenzie Cuba, Ava James, and Charles Fisher—shared their opinions on how the transition into high school has gone so far.

 Most students rated their week positively, with scores of 8 out of 10 from Caleb, Mackenzie, and Charles, and a perfect 10 from Ava. “I’d say an 8. The jump from middle school has been a big adjustment, and it’s taking a little time to get used to everything,” said Cuba. Most commonly they are excited about being back and enjoying new classes, though challenges such as early mornings, navigating the building, and adjusting to high school routines were faced during their first week.

 Highlights of the students' weeks varied. Caleb enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, Mackenzie was enthusiastic about starting Italian with Mr. Naylor, Ava appreciated the fresh start of each day, and Charles valued lunchtime: “I get to hang out with friends who aren’t in my classes,” said Fisher.

 The most common difficulty was finding their way around the school, with both Caleb and Charles mentioning getting lost or remembering where to go. Mackenzie pointed out the intensity of wrestling workouts, while Ava cited math as her toughest subject.

 Overall, students expressed mostly positive experiences, balancing the excitement of new opportunities and friendships with the challenges of adjusting to the bigger school, tougher academics, and new routines.

On the other hand, our returning seniors– Sejal Escaravage, Khayer Davis, Giani Earl, and Hudson Caudell– had a different say about the new school year. These Hoggard veterans all rated their first week about a 7 out of 10, with the exception of Sejal giving a more optimistic 8 out of 10. Our seniors recognized that seeing the new faces of incoming freshmen and other students was a highlight of their week.

While Hudson and Giani loved seeing friends and classmates they didn’t get to see over the summer, Sejal enjoyed going to the first home football game with her friends. “It was the first real FNL of the year,” said Escaravage.

Giani and Khayer’s difficulties were a little bit more obscure. They both exclaimed their unease with the new phone policy, while Hudson was more worried about his parking job. 

“Trying to back into my parking spot has been the most difficult. I really don’t want to get that fine,” said Caudell. Sejal shines some light on the tough workload she has been accustomed to in her IB classes: “I’m an IB ambassador, so the workload and getting back into that focus has been hard.”

In the end, our classmates, both young and old, are set on making this an amazing school year. Check back with us in May for the final update on our 8 amazing students.