The girl stood in the pool of students, with anxiety on one hand and fear in the other. Trying to find her way, she weaved through the maze of students, feeling daunted by upperclassman. Her only goal was to make it to her next class in the nick of time before she was considered tardy.

“I thought it was very hard to get to all my classes because during class change the school is so crowded and I had to push my way through just to make it to class on time,” freshman Chloe Miller said.

Many teenagers often have a hard time making the transition from middle school to high school. The new challenges and changes they face can be somewhat intimidating and overwhelming. Most students tend to stress about the change and worry about this new beginning.

“At first, I felt a little short compared to the giants on campus, but now I feel like I belong here”, freshman Ryan Lindquist said.

Besides trying to fit in, adjusting to high school is all about getting use to new teachers and classes. The expectations are clearly higher than they are in middle school and making a good first impression on a teacher is important.

“When I first met my teachers this week, I was trying my best to be myself and as polite as possible,” freshman Alysia Peterson said.

Sometimes, adjusting to high school can be a lot smoother when students are involved in a sport or club. This way, they have an opportunity to become involved with their school and they will not be afraid to show school spirit.

“I am on the junior varsity cheer team and it has really helped me adjust to high school,” freshman Kori Kestory said. “When we first started practicing, I made friends with some of the veterans on the team, and they showed me around the school. They were very inviting and told me I could ask them where anything is.”

Overall, transitioning to high school can be nerve-racking at first, but everyone’s a little wobbly once they take their training wheels off.

“My first week was amazing,” freshman Sabrina Schepmans said. “I absolutely love all the school spirit and fun activities that University has to offer. I am definitely looking forward to the next four years.”