Some seniors remember the fear of starting high school our freshman year. It is a year filled with excitement, fear, and anxiety.
Coming into school, freshman year was very intimidating for many people. Senior Michael Sacta said that Morgan looked very large when he first came. He explains that the concept of the A and D wing was confusing at first because of how big it made the school seem. He also says that it was nice having a new environment to be in and having new people around us that we were able to connect with. Senior Sean Quinn says he was very nervous coming into Morgan as a freshman. Senior Dan Bautista felt that Morgan looked like a college campus when he first arrived because of how large Morgan is. Senior Abby Vitola wants to remind incoming freshmen that although our school looks big, it is not as big as it seems. There are also teachers and other students everywhere who can help you find your way around the school. She wants to remind people to avoid the elevators because they are not for everyone’s use.
Michael says that many of the teachers in Morgan are very kind, helpful, and they try to help you achieve your very best. Dan says that when meeting your new teachers, be enjoyable and respectful to create a trustworthy relationship between you and your teachers. This usually will in turn give you more freedom with your teachers as the years carry on. Abby says that the majority of the teachers here at Morgan are very understanding, especially about extensions on work, as long as you let them know you’re going to need an extension in advance.
Michael said that studying is important if you want to do well by using Kahoot and Blooket, but he also mentions that you should not get overwhelmed though because once you get in your head, you start self-sabotaging. Sean and Abby both mentioned that using flashcards is very helpful for studying. It is not difficult to find a Quizlet for whatever unit or test that you are studying for. Sean says reviewing past homework is very helpful when studying as well. Dan says that an essential part of studying for midterms and finals is to get a basic understanding of everything that is going to be on your midterm in advance. This way, you are able to bring questions to school in the days leading up to your midterm to ask your teacher. Abby recommends not doing your final or midterm, if it is a project, the night before. For tests, she says not to stress it too much. When you cause a lot of stress before your test, you may not be able to take the test as well. She also says to focus on what you need to learn before your midterm or final, so you don’t waste your time on the things you already know well. Finally, Abby wanted to remind the incoming freshmen to be sure to study for math. Although it may not be obvious, there are many things in math that need to be studied like formulas and different rules.
Michael also offered some advice about friendships in high school. He says that you shouldn’t get caught up in a situation that make you feel uncomfortable. He’s learned that you need to be friends with people who help you grow as a person because you are constantly around them. He says stay away from people who you feel the need to impress because you may feel the need to try and please them. Although it is cliché, your time at Morgan really does fly by. There are also many activities, clubs, and events that happen at Morgan that you should be involved in to make your time here enjoyable. Sean says that there are a lot of people at Morgan and that it can be kind of overwhelming, but there are a lot of opportunities to make new friends. Abby says that you most likely will not be friends with the same people you were friends with in middle school by the end of high school, and that is okay. She wants to remind the incoming freshmen that smaller groups of more trustworthy and loyal people are better than large groups of people who talk badly about each other.
Some final tips that come from Abby are not to stand in the middle of the hallway. The hallways are small. There are a lot of students. It makes it very difficult to walk to class when walls of people are standing in the hallway talking. We also have couches where you can stop to take a minute to talk to your friends instead of standing in the middle of the hallway. Also, be careful in the parking lots as students come in and leave because we do have a lot of new drivers.