Now that summer has reached its end and students have just warmed up to the new school year, it’s a good time to talk about how students are adapting to the first quarter. Some freshmen are naturally worried about being accepted in AHS’s community, but it seems it’s not all bad. Freshman Kaylin Lopez expresses her thoughts on AHS’s community,
“I feel like it’s a very welcoming community.” Lopez said, “I joined the band and everyone was very friendly.”
Freshman Liliana Cervoni also feels very welcomed at Annandale.
“I’ve only been at Annandale for like a month but so far I’m really enjoying it.” Cervoni said, “I like how welcoming Annandale feels.
While there is still some concern over “fitting in,” especially amongst freshmen, AHS has shown there is always something you can be a part of. However, joining clubs and sports teams has caused some slight stress on some students, as the general chaos of the first quarter can be a bit tough to work around. With schedule changes, sport practices, and after school activities, it can be really exhausting to keep up with academics. Sophomore Whitaker Rayme is especially hit with the chaos.
“There’s insanity because I have theater, chorus, and football, so overlaying those schedules can be quite difficult during this season,” Rayme said.
However, there are still some students who feel comfortable with the current workload. Freshman Liliana Cervoni feels at home with her field hockey team.
Similiar to Rayme, Kaylin Lopez also feels like she can’t do other activities she wants to do because it means she will need to balance sports over work and school.
“I wanted to take fall track.” she said, “But I feel like taking two sports can interfere… you have to focus on sports and work at the same time.”
For example, if a student has a 2 hour sports practice after school, that can make it difficult for the student to study and complete assignments, but it also means that student might need to start studying later in the day or during W-4 periods. If you are stressed over work already, try to make some time in the day to tackle assignments one step at a time, and make sure to not procrastinate.
Having many activities to do throughout the year doesn’t necessarily mean the school year will be stressful, it just means some students will need to find a school life balance between activities and work. There are some different views on the first quarter so far. Many students feel like it is easy so far, while others are preparing for the worst. Freshmen Kaylin Lopez feels like the first quarter is relatively simple.
“[The 1st Quarter] is not too bad, it’s just mostly introductions and then getting into the workload, so I think it’s just about mostly adjusting.” Lopez said.
However, sophomore Nanci Kassa thinks that the school year is only going to get harder.
“It’s pretty easy.” Kassa said, “But I think it’s going to get hard…like quarters 2 and 3 are going to be more difficult”
There are also some comparisons between fall and spring academically. Whitaker Rayme expressed how difficult spring will be.
“[Fall] is more chiller than during the spring where we have a lot of testing.” Rayme said, “But it can also be confusing because the gradebook is just starting to fill, so your grades can be a bit wonky for the first week or two.”
While the academic views on the quarter are mixed, there is a lot of excitement for Halloween and the special traditions that come with it. Freshman Kaylin Lopez is especially excited for the spooky season.
“I like going to Cox Farms and getting pumpkins for Halloween,.” Lopez said, “Halloween is like one of the biggest things this fall.”
Freshman Liliana Cervoni also feels like Halloween is going to be a fun time.
“Every Halloween my entire cul-de-sac puts on this big thing…” Cervoni said, “We get a bunch of high schoolers in the neighborhood and have them dress up and scare kids.”
Despite the new stress and upcoming events, it seems that new AHS students have found their way around just fine. With big sports events on the horizon and popular holidays making their way around the corner, Annandale students are looking forward to whatever lies in the future. And considering how simple the first quarter has been to some students so far, there is no doubt some anticipation for what comes next. AHS and autumn have settled together well and who knows what will come in the next quarter. Freshmen Liliana Cervoni sums it up perfectly.
“I’m anticipating having a good year at Annandale, winning at least one Field Hockey game, and hopfully getting good grades this year,” Cervoni said.
