Written by Michael Baker|

As most of us know, freshman year of high school can be an easy experience, or it can be a difficult one. Getting lost, not knowing where classes are and being frightened by seniors are just some of the trials that freshman usually face. We had the idea to go around and get advice from teachers and current freshman for the incoming 8th graders.

Some of the most obvious advice would be to not do drugs and avoid those in the drug crowd, but we have all heard that a million times. Michaela Milano, currently a freshman, says, “Some people say failing a class isn’t a big deal, but it can really set you back in the long run.” Failing a class means that you lose the credit for that class, and you will have to make it up. Chances are if you have to make it up, you will be placed into a freshman class.

Mrs. Shugrue, a long time teacher here at Morgan, said,”study hard, pick your friends wisely, and find a reputable older student at The Morgan School as a mentor.” I heard from many other freshman the same thing: choose your friends wisely. You will lose and gain new friends. This is the time when you will find out who your real friends are. The advantage of having an upperclassman as a mentor or someone to look up to is that he or she has been through all of these years in high school and will be someone that you can try to be like. Looking up to someone will give you a good goal to work towards whether it is an academic or athletic goal.

Jayde Forbes and Riley Smith both said to get involved in school activities. There are tons of activities and clubs such as Amnesty, REACT, yearbook, high school bowl, student council, art from the heart, mock trial, and many more. Malik Shipman said to do your homework or your grade will go down, and Jake Bzowski says to remember your pass in the hallways so you do not get in trouble.

A final piece of advice from math teacher Mr. Samet, “…They should challenge themselves as much as they can academically.” Try hard and challenge yourself is some of the best advice one could give. Take advantage of some of the opportunities you have during high school because you might not be ever have the chance again. Have fun, try not to stress out, and if you ever need help never be afraid to ask for it.