The jump between middle school and high school can be a big one. Lots of things get shaken up, classes change, the workload heavies, and school begins to matter more and more. There are lots of positives and negatives when it comes to high school. To find out more about the transition process at H-B, The Current interviewed a few of this year’s ninth graders (Class of 2028) to get their opinions and advice that they’d like to pass onto the rising ninth grade class (Class of 2029).
When it comes to the changes that take place during the transition between middle and high school, most students noted that the most prominent change was that you are typically granted with more freedom. However, it came with more responsibilities. ninth grader Jacob said that his favorite part of high school was “gaining independence.Teachers tend to give you more freedom [in high school].” Alex Minchenkov, another ninth grader, noted that his favorite part about starting high school was “The friends and the [new] people you meet.”
The ninth graders that were interviewed described their high school experience so far in many different ways. Jacob Larmie said that so far it’s been “Okay. Some assignments are a bit harder and projects are more frequent. But other than that it’s pretty much the same.” Madaline Lee said that her experience so far has been “very eye opening.” She noted that “There are so many new opportunities around me and also taking different classes has been cool. Especially art classes. Because there are so many at H-B.” However, ninth grader Michael Holdaway described his high school experience as “Terrible.” He noted that this was because “People don’t like me.”
Most ninth graders agree that math is their hardest class, because “math requires you to devote a lot of study time” said ninth grader Madeline Lee. Alex M. added that “Tests are (also) a lot of your grade.” However ninth grader Michael Holdaway said that his hardest class was Physical Education, because “The teacher gives you a hard time if you get things wrong.”
When it comes to TA, most ninth graders agreed that a lot of changes take place. Madeline Lee said that “Most people don’t meet with their TA [as] often [compared to middle school]”. Madeline added that she tries to meet with her TA at least once a week “just to check in. But that’s just a choice.” Alex M. said that “TA activities lowered and the amount of people in TA got higher.” When asked why they chose their TA most ninth graders said that they chose a TA who they thought could support them. Alex said that he chose his TA, Zach N. “[Because] he said he could help with math and he does frisbee, which I also do.” Jacob said that he chose his TA, Bill Vanevera, “[because] I had my June time with him.” He noted that he got to know Bill V. during that time. Not everyone was lucky enough to get their first pick, however: Michael Holdaway said that his TA was his third pick.
All of the interviewees recommended doing an extracurricular. All of them said that playing a sport was a good extracurricular to take on. Madeline added “that sports provide a community and something to look forward to.” She also said that when choosing an extracurricular “it’s very important to consider your interests”. When it comes to what sport to choose, most of the highschoolers recommended frisbee, as “H-B has a pretty good frisbee team.” Alex M. also recommends “Get(ting) tutoring if you need it.” Micheal Holdaway said that when it came to extracurricular activities, he would recommend learning Spanish. He said that taking a language outside of school can help you get ahead.
Lastly, when it came to one piece of advice that the ninth graders wanted to pass onto rising ninth graders, Madeline Lee said “Don’t forget to breathe a bit, there’s a lot going on and sometimes you just need to take a moment and pause.”
Alex M. noted that it is important to “Consider the classes (electives) you’re taking. In middle school you could’ve just taken art and thought of it as a free block, but in high school you shouldn’t do that. You need to be more mindful of your class selection.”
Jacob said that it is important to “Use your time wisely during free blocks. (The) work will get harder (as the year progresses). Also try your best, teachers enjoy it when you try your best and give your all.” Micheal Holdaway added that you shouldn’t take everything in middle school for granted, specifically “How easy the classes were.”
