Transitioning from junior high to high school is a big step.

Going from the oldest to the youngest on campus is nerve-racking for lots of students.

Our very own freshman Claire Johnston was most nervous for this too.

“There are several things I was nervous about, but I was definitely most nervous about being the youngest,” said Johnston.

But after a few weeks Johnston’s nerves subsided. “I expected the older students to be more intimidating, but they weren’t intimidating at all.”

Setting nerves aside, as the year progressed Johnston’s excitement, to try out for one of the high school sports teams, grew.

“I’ve had so much fun being apart of Lakeridge high school’s basketball and softball teams and I look forward to playing again next year.”

Johnston doesn’t have many complaints about high school except for one thing, homework.

“Of course I had heard from this years sophomores that high school gives out a lot more homework than junior high, but I didn’t take them too seriously. Now that I’m here I know that they weren’t exaggerating!”

It all takes a bit of getting used to, but most students find high school to be much more enjoyable than junior high.

Shannon Kelly, another freshman at LHS, was also anxious when first coming to Lakeridge.

“I was a little nervous about making friends,” she said.

Though Kelly was nervous she soon found that it was nothing to worry about.

“After the first week I had already made some really cool friends. It wasn’t a problem at all.”

Overall Kelly said she likes high school better than junior high for several reasons.

“I really enjoy all the different class options offered at Lakeridge. It seems they have something to interest everyone. I also find there to be less immaturity from students which I am grateful for.”

Although there are many things Kelly enjoys about high school, it isn’t perfect.

“I do really enjoy the way the classes challenge me, but the exams can be really stressful to prepare for.”

If Kelly could have given any advice to herself before starting freshman year she would have said, “Don’t stress out about things so much.”

High school can be scary and full of challenges, but with an open mind most find themselves to really enjoy it.