By Amelia McDonough
After riding the high of 8th grade, dropping down a peg to becoming high school freshman may bring on some fears at the beginning of the school year.
One of the most common fears amongst freshmen throughout Ponte Vedra High School is getting lost and not being able to find their classes. Out of all of the uncertainties when entering high school seven freshman attested to the fact that getting lost was a fear they also shared. These freshmen were Erika Wagner, Tori Reeves, Lily Hall, Mary Haddad, Noah Reyes, Dylan Britton, and Nola Wisdom. “Going into high school I was scared of getting lost and I did,” admits Wisdom. This fear is very relevant and understandable when adjusting to PVHS’s large campus as opposed to a middle school about half of the size.
“Going into high school I was scared of getting lost- and I did.”
Nola Wisdom
Another fear that was not as common but still shared among the freshmen was fear of upper classmen, especially the seniors. Sarah Moya and Tala Madani both agreed on the fear of senior boys and girls. “Senior girls are very intimidating,” says Moya. “I am scared of tall football players,” says Tala Madani. Adrienne Edwards also had some preconceived ideas about seniors but unlike her fellow freshmen, she said she quickly found out that they aren’t as scary as she thought. One group that provides an opportunity to help freshmen combat the fear of senior women is the “Big Sis, Little Sis” group.
Big Sis Little Sis is a group at PVHS that includes senior women and freshmen girls. This group allows a freshman girl to be paired with a senior woman and they are each other’s Big sis and Little Sis for the year. Freshman, Railey Player comments on the advantage Big Sis Little Sis brings throughout the year, “Having a big sis makes the seniors less intimidating,” says freshman, Railey Player.
One specific worry that freshmen experience at PVHS is the fear of embarrassing themselves by falling on the stairs. This fear isn’t as common as others previously mentioned, however it is just as real. Emily Wilson admitted that one of her fears was the stairs. Cassidy Miskowiec also agreed that she does not want to trip while going up or down the stairs.
Lastly, two freshmen shared the fear of not being able to find people to sit with at lunch. Going into high school lots of middle schools combine and freshman year is full of new faces. Depending on your schedule, lunch with all your friends is not always guaranteed, making this a very valid fear.
Luckily all these fears are small and can help build confidence among the incoming freshmen. Some of these fears may even help some freshmen bond and navigate the nerve racking yet exciting first year of high school.
