The freshmen class has gone through their fair share of changes this year. Sports, clubs, events, tournaments and competitions have helped the freshmen develop their opinion on how they felt this school year. Whether their opinion was good or bad, this year was definitely impactful on all of them. A handful of freshmen were asked how they felt about this school year .
Zella Barsotti felt that she had a good school year, but was nervous at first. She added, “This school year has been very different for me, but I eventually got the hang of it, and school became more simple.” She also spoke about what she thought of her teachers. “Most of my teachers are sweet and helpful, and for the most part helped me excel in my classes,” she stated. Barsotti spoke candidly about becoming a rising sophomore. “I am excited to be a sophomore next year, but I am also kind of nervous. I have started mentally preparing for the classes I’m taking to try and get ahead now. I think that most of my friends feel the same way.”
Her goal for the next school year is to start on longer assignments earlier to stay away from stress.
Diya Patel said she enjoyed this school year because she was able to start on a clean slate. “I thought being a freshman was really fun because I was able to start fresh and make a bunch of new friends. I moved to Lafayette because of SCAPA, and starting literary arts was really great. She touched on how she feels about becoming a sophomore, explaining, “I am partially excited at becoming a sophomore next year, because I have heard that sophomore year is one of the worst years of high school. But, I am also excited to see my new friends, travel next year, and hopefully things work out with everybody I care about.” Patel plans to take her classes more seriously next year, saying, “I am going to try and work hard on my assignments, and try to pass all of the AP tests I plan on taking.” Patel plans on taking classes such as AP Biology, AP Seminar, and AP World History.
Ella Harris said that she has had a fun freshman year. “I think that freshman year was really fun for me. It was a really good experience from middle school, because we had a lot more freedom,” she expressed. Harris even felt that this year has been easier on her, stating, “I did my homework in class when we had time, and I really tried to pay attention this year. I want to keep this up as a sophomore by studying more, because sometimes I study right before a test, and that’s a really big problem.” She said Mrs. Rizzuti was her favorite teacher this year, saying, “She has really made government fun for me, even though I am not really interested in that kind of stuff.” Harris will be starting two different choirs next year, Madrigals and Chorale, along with a few APs. Her favorite moment from freshman year has been making new friends. “My circle was really small in middle school, but I grew it and became a lot more extroverted. I also feel like I have more freedom to make way more friends, unlike at SCAPA, where it is a small school,” she noted.
Overall, most freshmen believe that this year has been good to them. Coming from some pretty rough eighth-grade experiences, this year has definitely been smoother. AP classes bumped the workload for a number of students, but has started to prepare them for the harder classes they will take at Lafayette or in college. Whatever sophomore year brings, hopefully, students will have a brighter or better experience.
