Being a freshman coming into high school can be a scary experience. I remember being scared of the upperclassmen and being scared to play sports. Over time, these fears went away. Being an upperclassman now, I wondered what the 2020-21 freshmen had to say about their fears coming into high school. 

A fear for many students was that this year was going to be different or cut short like it did last year. For Erin Potter, Natalie Fried, and Marah Vogelsberg, this was one of their biggest fears. Marah said, “I’m scared that COVID will take away from my first real high school experiences like the homecoming activities.” Of course not having the homecoming dance was a big blow, but we still got to do the parade and have the football game. I know that most people are still scared that COVID could hit hard at any time and shut down the high school. It’s just a weird year that everyone had to adjust to.

Freshman year is a learning year, especially learning how the teachers teach differently, and how to get from classroom to classroom. Since our middle school and high school is connected, most freshmen knew where all the classrooms were. For some, this was their first year ever at Potosi. This of course made it difficult for them to know where all their classes were. Natalie said, “I didn’t want to be that one weird kid who doesn’t know what they're doing.” As the semester went on these freshmen like Natalie got used to their schedules and where the classrooms are. 

Along with being a new student comes the fear of making new friends. Even the kids coming from the Catholic School to the public school had to make new friends. They had to find their group of friends. Luckily for Marah and Natalie, they already knew some people from Potosi so it wasn’t as hard to find their group and stick together. 

There is something else that always seems to always be a freshman’s biggest fear: finals and homework. Finals are always worried about especially when they count for so much of your grade. Natalie said, “I just don’t want to fail. Finals are a big pressure.” The best advice for a Freshman worrying about finals is to study. I know it sounds cliche, but it actually helps. Whether it's making flashcards or reading over your notes, anything is better than nothing. For homework, it gets heavier as the years go on; so far I definitely think that junior year has been the hardest year. Freshman year is pretty laid back. Marah said, “Homework isn’t as hard as I thought it would be; it's pretty manageable.” 

Despite all of the fears, there are actually a lot of things to look forward to, such as all of the fun activities during FFA Week or Homecoming Week, and finally getting to play high school sports; even seeing some of your friends who are upperclassmen.