by Sally Scannell

High School. Those two little words can combine such a punch, you’ll be lucky if you’re still standing. After hearing the rumors, reading the stories and seeing both the movies “Mean Girls” and “The Breakfast Club,” I was sure I was ready for anything L-S could throw at me. From what I’d been told high School could make you or undoubtedly break you.
Starting in my freshman year I was overcome with an unexpected amount of nervousness. You have to understand that in the eyes of a new student, L-S looks vast. There were so many corridors, rooms, and floors; I was amazed the teachers didn’t get lost!
I had nightmares of failing every class, being shoved in a closet and tripping down a staircase. But despite my fears I braced myself. On my first day, I was mixed in with the almost fifteen hundred students that L-S is home to. I timidly walked through the halls and waited. There had to be something, some form of recognition.
Sooner or later I suspected the freshmen hazing would begin, but to my utter shock, I was completely ignored. The most we did was make the older students reminisce, I can’t tell you how many times I heard “Remember when we were freshmen and...”
After this first uneventful, yet relieving day, the rest of the year seemed to fly by. Soon I understood the ropes at L-S. During my first year, I decided to focus on my GPA, and continued to build up friendships that I will hopefully keep forever.
I kept in mind that this year “belongs” to the seniors. The rest of us, especially freshmen, are simply trying to keep our grades up and snag as much attention as we can without seeming defiant.
Of course I know the seniors deserve every bit of credit that they got, but still I wonder why everywhere I went, when I told people I was in the ninth grade, they looked at me and said with the same condescending tone “Oh, so you’re a freshman.” Why couldn’t I just be called a ninth grader?
So finally sitting here and writing this piece a revelation hit me: somewhere at sometime everybody will have to replay the role of a freshman. Think about next year, my entire class will be seen as sophomores, the sophomores of this year will be the new juniors, and the juniors will have taken over the positions as glorious seniors.
Then I thought, what will happen to the old seniors, the ones graduating now, what will they be? They’ll be freshmen all over again. From here on out this cycle will continue every place you go whether it’s high school, college, the workplace and so on.
Being a freshman is neither something negative nor positive it’s just what we are for a short period of time. So to all the seniors, best wishes on what’s to come. And to all the juniors, sophomores and my fellow freshmen congrats for making it through another year.
Just remember, enjoy the ride and be patient. Our time in the spotlight is coming. It’ll be here a lot sooner then we think.