High school a fresh perspective

On Aug. 17, 2011, I stood in front of a brand new school I’d visited only once, a backpack full of binders in one hand and a neatly printed schedule in the other. Around me, upperclassman shouted to one another. Freshman huddled together with their middle school friends. This land was foreign and unexpected, and for a moment, I was taken back to a similar day three years earlier when I entered middle school.

Since the beginning of mankind (or so it seems), the very prospect of middle school seemed to terrify even the bravest of fifth-graders. On my first day of sixth grade, I clearly recall my stomach churning around a combination of nerves and excitement, much like it did on the first day of high school. What would the teachers be like? Would someone try to stuff me in a locker? Were the seventh- and eighth-graders terrible and mean to sixth graders like me?

These fears, of course, went unfounded. There were no bullies or terrible teachers. The newfound sense of freedom from having my own locker and eating in an actual cafeteria was overwhelming. When I first entered the realm of high school, I expected things to be even better and more exciting.

To some extent, they were. There were tons of new people to meet and new activities to try. However, not everything was rosy-red. The moment I got my first homework assignment, a sense of dread dropped over me at one thought: the grades I make this year and over the next four are going to impact me for the rest of my life. They could make or break what sort of financial aid I receive when it’s time to apply for college. They would determine if I got into the school of my dreams or was kicked back to some undesirable.

The pressure was immense. Never in my three years of middle school had I felt anything like it. Classes mattered now. I couldn’t just coast like I was used to, I had to work. For me, this was the main difference between high school and middle school. Now, everyone was talking about college applications and plans for the future beyond just Friday night. I felt intimidated and confused.

All hope was not lost, though. Good friends and helpful teachers made me realize that not everything in school was scary. People still liked to have fun, regardless of grade level. School assignments hadn’t changed to a point where they were unmanageable; they had just gotten a little bit harder. People weren’t discussing colleges as a way to frighten others. They were talking about them because they were excited for the future, as everyone should be.

Middle school and high school are scary places at first. They seem so big and imposing, but the hardest part is always lifting your foot and taking that first step into the beginning of your future.

Allie Poe is a freshman at Mat-Su Career and Technical High School.