Hello From the Other Side

The freshman this year did not get a middle school experience as the rest of us did. They were virtual. No whispering across the aisle in between desks. No petty drama on the field during lunch. And no planned hugs to solidify the “it” couple’s fame. Just zoom calls and family dinners.

This lack of normalcy made the transition to high school more drastic. Confused sixth graders now find themselves as confused ninth graders. Moving down the hill from TRMS, down the street from SVMS or even across town from Challenge Middle school has looked a lot different for class of ‘25. Or from another middle school, like Natalie Replogie.

“I went to infinity middle school, so I was supposed to go to CT. I’m happy I came here, though. I think it was really a struggle to transition because I didn’t know many people when I came in,” Replogie said. “And with Covid and everything, it was really rough trying to get back into the groove of things. But everybody here was super helpful with that.” Getting into the groove can be hard, but finding a group to get you acclimated will make it a lot easier.

“I’m incredibly honored to be a freshman and to be a part of the varsity cheer community. I made a whole bunch of bonds with upperclassmen and people in different grades.” Aubrey Fritz said. “That has been great. I’ve learned that it’s good to pay attention and value what you learn from older people. Cheer has helped me see how high school works, and knowing older people has helped me mature.” The class of ‘25 had to either get in the fast track of assimilating into high school, or they would have a difficult road ahead of them. Many of them found their spot in the community like Fritz.

“I think theatre has been something I have always loved — in middle school and my siblings did it too. It is really good to have something to do at school. It’s not just going to class or doing homework,” Grace Anderson said. “This has helped my transition that has been a little more drastic than usual for freshmen.”

The class of ‘25 has entered their final stage of adolescence. They are saying goodbye to the other side. The pre-high-school side has less freedom to choose. That side has less individuality. Now in high school they get the luxury of deciding how they want their path to look.

“I volunteer sometimes after school, if I can get a spot at the library. My biggest priority is speech and debate. I am also on the robotics team,” Saicharith Koppisetty said. “I guess they are just passions of mine. I just want to experiment to see what I am good at, especially speech and debate because I want to be a lawyer.” Maybe Koppisetty will go on to study law at Harvard, or maybe he will study engineering at Mines. But he has time to decide. The class of ‘25 is excited about anything they can get involved in.

“I’m involved in volleyball and student council. I like just getting involved with clubs and after school stuff,” Austin Wells said. “ My next three years? Well, I’m hoping to do more things in sports and clubs. I’ll be doing basketball and hopefully going out for football. And just getting to know more people — I just want to meet as many people as I can.”

My brother, a freshman, interjected as I was telling him about this story. Not all freshmen are heavily involved, and that is okay. But the members of ‘25 who are involved are very involved in the Raptor community. Hopefully this excitement becomes contagious, and in a few years, they will be the rowdiest raptors yet.