The newest Atoms have a perfect vision for this upcoming school year. The Class of 2020 are settling in and getting accustomed to life at Annandale.

The transition from middle school to high school can be overwhelming, with bigger hallways, classes and even kids, but on Thursday, September, 1 all freshman students were invited to attend freshman orientation, an annual event that aims to help them get a better sense of the school and their classes before the first day of school.

“The school is really big, and there were a lot of new faces” freshman Mia Muntu said. “[Orientation] made it easier for me to find my classes and be on time to them [on the first day of school].”

Orientation started in the Auditorium with introductions from counselors and other staff members and a quick speech from some of the administrators. The Leadership class, also, showed a short presentation on their tips for high school success.

After being dismissed from the Auditorium the newbys took to the halls and had a mock school day where they attended all of their classes for a brief time. This enabled students to scope out the teacher, class and pupils prior to the first day craziness.

“[At first] I thought [Annandale] was really big and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it” freshman Jack Dalrymple. “I think [orientation] was really helpful, at orientation I didn’t know where to go it was like a maze, but on the first day of school it was easier because I had already seen all my classes and went to them.”

Leadership students volunteered to help and lined the hall to direct kids and answer questions.

“I thought that it was helpful for the freshmen to see helping and smiling faces in the hallway, especially upperclassmen because sometimes freshmen can get intimidated by them” senior, leadership student Tehya Moss said.

The day concluded with a class picture and pep rally in the Gym where the band, cheer team and color guard all performed to get the kids excited for their new school.

Principal Tim Thomas even have a motivating speech to the new class and taught them the school’s more prominent acronym, PRIDE.

“I’m really excited for this year I’m not really nervous at all anymore. I think it will be a great year with many opportunities” Dalrymple said.