The beginning of each school year brings along a new freshman class. This year, it is the class of 2028.
Emma Greco is a freshman that we had the honor of speaking to. After her first few weeks of being a student at Eastern Regional High School. Before Emma entered high school, she was excited, but also felt unready. Fortunately, she attended the freshman orientation that took place over the summer. The two-day program is led by Student Alliance, an Eastern club that was created to help guide ninth graders when entering high school. She thought that it was one of the most helpful things the school had set up to assist incoming freshmen. She noted that meeting the members of the club at freshmen orientation was a great way to get her pumped up for the start of the year. Emma thought that they were terrific mentors; they provided her with information and eased her nerves. A lot of guidance Emma has received has come from the upperclassmen, and she explained how much of an amazing resource they have been. Along with her peers, Emma has received so much help from her parents and teachers. The best advice she has received from said mentors is to not stress too much because it isn’t always worth it when there are other things that can be done to combat the situation. All of her mentors have helped to set the path for her high school career.
“I was excited but nervous because I didn’t know what to expect”. – Ainsley Hauber
Ainsley is a current freshman at Eastern Regional High school and was willing to answer an array of questions to share how her first year of high school has been going so far. Her biggest challenges have been finding all of her classes while also trying to be on time for them. Thankfully, she felt very prepared walking into the school on the first day. She felt prepared because of starting soccer over the summer and attending the freshmen orientation. The most helpful information she’s been given so far is to use the glass hallway rather than the 800s hallway , because it’s faster and “less chaotic.” Her most fun experiences at the school have been the soccer games and gaining support from her biggest mentors, the junior and senior friends she’s made. The first day, she walked in feeling excited about all the new opportunities, but nervous at the same time. Ainsley says that the most useful thing the school has done to help her going into freshman year was the aforementioned two–day freshmen orientation camp she attended in August . She says it helped her a lot with finding her classes, getting involved, and meeting new people.
Shyla Rana is a freshman at Eastern High School who is also the class of 2028’s very own treasurer! As treasurer she would like to play the key role of managing the financial aspects of class activities as well as organizing them . Of course this involves budgeting, organizing fundraisers, keeping records, and contributing to the success of the wonderful class of 2028! She knows that being treasurer requires a lot of hard work and it’s also very time consuming, but she’s up for the challenge!
Going into her first year of high school, Shyla felt very prepared. On her first day, she was super eager to check out all her new classes. To make the freshman transition easier on the ninth graders, Shyla says the school’s easy accessibility to clubs helped her out a lot. She also received many important pieces of advice from her cousin who is a junior and also her biggest mentor for her high school transition. She knew the two most important skills that would help her during her time at Eastern were organization and time management. Another piece of advice that has helped Shyla is to not stress out too much. She knows that handling clubs, classes, and activities outside of school can be extremely challenging. She believes that procrastination and stressing out will not help at all. Like most freshmen,a big challenge that Shyla is facing is waking up very early in the morning and trying to perform her best at school. At the same time, one thing that she enjoys at Eastern is the freedom given during our lunch time. In fact, having lunch with her friends has been her most fun experience at Eastern so far.
Alvina Ashraf is a freshman at Eastern High School who is the class of 2028’s secretary! She believes that since we will be together for four years, everyone should get to know each other through different events and activities! Alvina has many unique goals and ideas for the class of 2028 which she will work hard to achieve!
For it being her first year of high school, Alvina felt extremely prepared and organized. She is organizing up to the tiniest detail and consistently managing her clubs and other activities. Alvina’s organization skills are going to be a big help for her when doing her secretary duties. She says the most helpful information that was given to her was to get involved. “Our high school offers an amazing variety of clubs and athletic programs to join, so I devoted my time into several of them,” says Alvina. During her time at Eastern she says that she had so many enjoyable experiences, one of them was surprisingly the first day of school. She felt ecstatic to be entering high school and exploring the school, meeting her teachers, and making new friends! She says that the main reason that this big transition felt easier was all because of the upperclassmen, who were her biggest mentors. They have given her so much advice on schoolwork and clubs, which she will take with her throughout the rest of the year. Another thing that has made this transition easier for her was the freshman study hall, which helped her get a lot of her work done in a quiet space! Initially, her biggest challenge has been understanding the Eastern schedule! She was unfamiliar with the schedule because coming from middle school, she wasn’t used to dropping two classes everyday. But she later memorized the schedule completely and got the hang of it. Alvina says that the best part of Eastern is the people; she thinks that the students and teacher’s commitment and pride they devote to the school is very inspiring. Because of this, Alvina feels happy and very proud to be a Viking!
Kyra Olson, the vice president for the class of 2028, is a freshman at Eastern that we interviewed. Her role in the student council will help to build the future of Eastern High School. In the following four years, Kyra and her fellow student leaders will speak for the class of 2028 and organize many fun events to raise awareness for the community and school spirit. When Kyra first joined Eastern, she felt prepared and confident for the year. Although she had felt a little nervous, she was very excited for the new changes and challenges that high school would bring. One helpful thing the school has done for all incoming freshmen was an orientation program. This helped many students, such as Kyra, to get accustomed to the school and navigation. Some of the most helpful advice she was given about freshman year was to pursue her passions. Even though it may sound cliche, she knew it was important to be herself and not worry too much about the future because everything will fall into place. Kyra’s favorite thing about Eastern is the variety of clubs and activities that anyone can get involved in. Her most fun experience so far has been being part of the Eastern Girls Soccer Program. Soccer is one of her passions and this program lets her play with many new people and further her skills. One challenge she and many other freshmen faced was adapting to the new environment and learning styles of each teacher and subject. Her mentors in life are her parents, who helped guide her throughout many moments in her high school journey, and her upperclassmen friends. Overall, Kyra is excited to continue her high school career and for all the great opportunities the future holds.
Krishi Patel, the historian for the class of 2028, is a freshman at Eastern High School. She is excited to be in the student council to help build many memorable experiences for the class of 2028. Going into high school, Krishi felt very prepared. She had a successful process of staying on top of her work and managing her time well. Although she felt nervous to start a new chapter in her life, she was excited for the new experiences and memories she would make throughout high school. Eastern’s many orientation programs helped her become accustomed to navigation in the school and high school life in general. Her mentors throughout the transition to high school have been her parents and cousins, who gave her many insights into high school life, taught her many techniques for time management as well as leadership skills, and helped her adjust to the new environment and challenges high school brought. Krishi’s biggest challenge so far at Eastern has been waking up early and working through a new sleep schedule. Many other students have expressed this same belief. Krishi’s favorite thing about Eastern is the opportunity to explore many different clubs, activities, and classes. Her most fun memory at Eastern was going to the white out-themed football game with her friends. The best advice given to her about freshman year was to“be your own individual and learn to go with the flow.” This mindset helped her get through many changes and challenges high school brought. Krishi is very excited for the upcoming year and the future years of her highschool career at Eastern.
Parv Chikani, the class president of 2028, had many goals and ideas coming into Eastern as a freshman. During his highschool career, he will hopefully be a voice for the class of 2028 for the following four years. Going into a new school and starting a new school year, Parv felt prepared since he learned many of the basics of high school from his upperclassmen friends.Along with this, he had many friends who were starting high school alongside him. He went to the orientation programs, which made him feel even more confident. The best advice given to him was to not procrastinate due to the heavy workload from each of his classes and after school activities. Managing your time properly is always important. One challenge he and many others faced was navigating the school hallways and classes. As an avid football fan, Parv’s favorite thing about Eastern so far has been the football games. Another fun experience for him has been the marching band. Parv says his biggest mentors this year have been his teachers due to their helpful information and encouragement about freshman year. Coming into freshman year, Parv, like many of his classmates, is excited and anxious to start a new school year, see his friends and learn as well as grow as a person.
As a new school year begins, many students are nervous about their classes but eager to see their friends. Charlotte Goldberg, a freshman at Eastern, shares these common feelings among her peers. I had the pleasure of interviewing her as she shared some details about her exciting experience at Eastern so far.
Going into her first day of high school, she was worried about her classes, unsure of how challenging they would be. She was also looking forward to reuniting with her friends from middle school, but was excited to meet new people. Once she got an idea of how much schoolwork she was going to have, Charlotte started to feel less prepared for her freshman year. However, she has made adjustments to be more organized so she can stay on a steady path with her studies. So far, Charlotte’s biggest challenge at Eastern has been her math class because it is very difficult. She feels that the biggest change from middle school to high school has been the significant amount of work she will need to put in to excel in her classes. Another big change is how many more people there are that she does not know, whether they are in different grades or from different previous schools. Her favorite thing about Eastern so far is the hour-long lunch period because it gives her plenty of time to relax in between classes and catch up with her friends. She also enjoys attending the Friday night football games, which are always a blast. The most helpful information she has received for the year was through the school’s map, which helped her navigate her classes and figure out the best shortcuts around the school. Another useful thing the school has done to prepare her was the freshman orientation, which immediately made her more comfortable at Eastern by exposing her to the building and introducing her to the other students. Charlotte’s biggest mentors have been her senior friends, who provided her with lots of support and advice that she will hold onto throughout her high school career.
As we can see, there were many similarities between students’ feelings about embarking on this new journey. A common feeling was a mix of excitement but also anxiety, which is completely understandable because new things bring those emotions. Something that helped students ease their nervous feelings was the many transition events hosted by the school over the summer, which was very helpful. According to our interviews, it made them feel more prepared by getting to know where they will be walking around each day, locations of their classes, finding out their locker number and combination, and getting their schedules and iPads. Even though they felt similarly , their experiences were unique and different from one another. They each have different interests as proven by their involvement in different clubs, sports, and after school activities. Though some might have experienced negative feelings at first, the class of 2028 is very proud to be here and can’t wait for new memories to be made.
