Starting high school can be tough for a lot of students. Even though most students look forward to it, the reality of new teachers, harder classes, and unfamiliar faces can be overwhelming and exciting at the same time. Luckily, The Morgan School does a great job helping incoming freshmen feel welcome and supported during that first year. That extra effort makes a huge difference and helps make the first year way less stressful.

Freshman Katelyn Ramirez has had a great start to her high school experience during the first two months. She is a part of the Morgan girls soccer team and is taking three of her core classes at the honors level. Ramirez described the transition as both challenging and manageable. “The classes are more structured; the classes are obviously farther apart, but other than that it’s been relatively easy for me,” Ramirez shared. Overall, her transition from middle school to high school has gone smoothly.

Freshman Morgan Hoover has had a pretty smooth start to her first few months of high school. She’s on the Morgan girls soccer team and is taking four out of her five core classes at the honors level. What helped Hoover most was Step, a three-day orientation program, The Morgan School hosts about a week before the school year starts. “Step definitely helped a lot, so I knew where to go. Everyone was really open. I could ask anyone where my next class was, no one was rude or anything,” she said. Hoover also mentioned that having older students around who were kind and willing to help made her feel way more confident about starting high school.

However, it hasn’t been easy for everyone. Freshman Addisyn Massey found the transition a bit more challenging. She said the size of the school made it harder to get used to where her classes were which made her nervous for the first few weeks. “Step definitely helped a lot, so I knew where to go,” she explained. Massey also me

ntioned that having her schedule on her phone made things easier, even though she still got lost from time to time.

Morgan’s school counselors are doing a lot to help freshmen settle in. Early in the school year, they visit Freshman Experience classes to check in and get to know their assigned students better. They also keep an eye out for anyone who might need extra support and meet with them one-on-one. “We want them to feel acclimated to the community,” said school counselor Christopher Marinaro. Whether it’s academic stress or something more personal, the guidance office is always a good place to start.

Overall, most freshmen at the Morgan School have had a good experience so far. The Morgan School tries its hardest to make sure freshmen feel comfortable entering their school. From friendly upperclassmen to fun events and helpful teachers, the school does a great job making sure everyone feels welcome and not lost and confused during the school year.