It’s 7:30 in the morning and most students usually enter through the school doors weary-eyed and unenthusiastic. This was not the case on Aug. 30 when over 600 freshmen took their first step as Atoms: attending the Class of 2016’s freshman orientation.

Freshman William Ellis was one of the many excited and eager freshmen that attended the event. “It was fun because I got to be with my friends and experience a new school and meet my teachers,” Ellis said.

The sea of new students crowded into a nearly packed auditorium where Principal Vincent Randazzo stood at the front of the room ready to greet the new class. “You are no longer whatever you were in middle school,” Randazzo said. “You are now an atom.”

The presentation would proceed with an introduction to the many counselors and administrative staff who would welcome the students and congratulate them on attending one of Fairfax County’s most diverse high schools. Counselors Illana Reyes and Lisa Foliaco were thanked for their efforts in organizing the event and making sure each freshman felt welcomed and optimistic about their upcoming high school experience.

“I love freshman orientation because it is a great opportunity for freshmen to reduce their anxiety when coming into a new place,” counselor Carrie Schaefer said as she welcomed students walking into AHS for their very first time. “They get a sense of where they’re going and they get to put a face to their teacher’s name and see a smiling face when they enter a class.”

After a brief presentation by the leadership class and a general overview of cafeteria procedures, students were released into the hallways for their first time in order to track down their classes with help from the cheerleading teams and leadership students.

“The leadership students are helping out because they know the building well and they can answer any questions they [the freshmen] have,” leadership advisor and marketing teacher Stephanie Harmony said. “We also promote freshman elections and buy t-shirts in order to welcome them.”

“I remember being lost on my first day of school,” senior and leadership student Olivia Franjie said. “We just want to make sure that their [the freshmen’s] first few weeks of school are easier.”

After navigating to each of their classrooms and listening to a brief five minute presentation from each of their teachers, the Class of 2016 filed into the main gym where a pep rally was waiting to take place. The varsity cheerleading team performed a new routine to welcome the new class while the marching band and color guard team performed AHS’s fight song to rally the freshmen for a great start to their first year at AHS.

“We’re really excited because we’ve been waiting for this new class,” Randazzo said. “We’re excited for a brand new class of atoms.”