Freshmen. The status that every sophomore, junior, and senior must start out with.

But in order to continue on these ensuing levels, freshmen need some help and adjustment. The school has a freshman transition program to help freshmen adjust faster to high school.

“The freshman transition program is a program that occurs over the summer and the beginning of the school year,” senior sub-school principal Dana Walker said. “The program would help students preview certain courses, gain certain skills, get affiliated with the school, learn about the South Lakes culture and expectations, and get a head start on some of the academics.   The program allows freshmen the best possible chance to get off on a great start in high school.”

Freshman Caitlyn King is working on managing her time to help her swim with the tide, balancing her new high school workload and her sport schedule.

“I have swim before school and field hockey after school,” King said. “I have to plan out the time that I’m home and then that is the time I do my homework. The work is a little harder than middle school but I have to make sure I get them all done before it’s too late because I have to get to bed early since I wake up at 4 a.m. to swim.”

Like King, freshman Olivia Liddle also attempts to adjust to the pressures of both school and sports.

“Taking all honors classes and playing for the school’s volleyball team stresses me out a bit,” Liddle said.” Since I have practice after school, it takes time away from homework. This stresses me out because I am not used to the amount of work in high school and having a sport to worry about. On top of that is a new experience.”

As freshman Sammy Rugari tries to adapt, he struggles to adjust his learning skills.

“The materials we study seem to go a little fast,” Rugari said. “I kind of have to get used to studying more and it can get a bit stressful.”

Liddle sees a difference in the rigor of high school classes, in comparison to middle school.

“I have to work harder in all my subjects unlike in middle school,” Liddle said. “The material is harder to learn so it takes more time studying. The classes are harder and there is more work which also takes longer.”

With the prospect of college only three years away, freshmen Mina Mohtasham considers high school grades to be more important than those earned in middle school.

“Grades stress me out the most,” Mohtasham said. “It’s puts a lot of pressure on you because you start thinking about college and grades starts to count and matter. Middle school just prepped you for high school but now it’s the real thing.”

Biology teacher Amol Patel utilizes parents to teach freshmen biology.

“For freshmen, I have to use parents a little bit more than IB kids,” Patel said. “I get parents to help me manage that. For freshmen, they have to pass the SOL so I have to care about that.”

Education is a problem, but freshman Conor Thomas has no major problems socially. Having friends from middle school coming to the same high school, it was easier for him to adjust.

“There is a lot more people,” freshman Conor Thomas said. “There is a big diversity in the age of people, like it is not between two years but there are older people. There wasn’t much to adapt to socially because almost all my friends from middle school came here, other than the diversity of the age.”

Junior Max Gillum recalls his freshman year and what was important to him that year.

“What I found important was getting to know people in other grades,” Gillum said. “Having class with people older than me helped me feel like I’m a part of this high school.”

Already in the second quarter of the school year, English teacher Tabitha Morrison said that some freshmen have adjusted to high school and some have not.

“Those who are organized have been doing well,” Morrison said. “Some students are better than others because they utilize their organizational tools to help them stay focused in class and the kids who don’t come to high school with that tool in their belt tend to not do as well. I think all of them are adjusting because there’s a learning curve to everything.”

Counselor Suzanne Parrott explains the importance of freshmen year.

“Freshmen year is important as it is the foundation for the next three years,” Parrotte said. “All the courses you take in the freshmen year are the foundational classes that are needed for the next three years of high school.”