Everybody knows that the transition from middle school to high school is a big jump. While it may be different based on what school you go to and when you go, there are some common grounds. Personally I was overwhelmed but a little excited. Everyone has their own experience, which can depend on when they go to high school and where. It can just depend on the person and how they were raised. In this article I will compare and contrast how two different people experienced the big change.

Aubrey Caron is a freshman this year at GHS, 2023-2024. She had a great transition, in her opinion moving to high school felt freeing. While she may have felt a little lost this year, she knows the next 4 years will get better, because she understands the inner workings of GHS now. Aubrey told me that, “Upperclassmen were once underclassmen too”, this reminds people not to be scared because they were once in our same position. She also has her older sister who helped make being the “baby” of the school easier. She loves that there are more opportunities and extracurriculars to do, for example, newspaper, culinary club, student government and many more. Aubrey noticed that the workload is not too difficult compared to middle school, the teachers made it seem like high school was the end of our lives, especially if we made it fun. For example, even just talking to our friends. One piece of advice she has for future freshmen is to make high school interesting, join clubs, don’t get involved with pointless drama and surround yourself with the right people. You make your high school experience.

The second person I interviewed was Tori Rios. She went to high school at LaSalle Peru Township High School in LaSalle, Illinois, from 1998-2002. The shift from middle school was a good experience for her. She knew people from the other middle schools joining them. Victoria also recognized some differences in the workload and classes. She did many extracurriculars such as, yearbook, student board, Spanish clubs and more. Both her and Aubrey recommend joining clubs and doing more than just going to school. For Tori, freshman year was her best, she took really easy classes and took AP and Honors in her later years. She also wants to remind all freshmen that while high school is a big change it is important to, “take it as a learning experience and embrace new changes, challenges and friends.”