By Lenaia Powell
The freshman class is always looked down upon each year by every other class, but something to keep in mind is that all of us were freshmen too, and we probably were just as annoying to upperclassmen as the new freshmen are to us. So, inevitably, the newest group of students coming to Apopka High School are going to receive criticism from us, and here’s your chance to learn about them and what’s new to hate.
Just kidding! It can be hard to accept this new group, but we could try to show some sympathy towards them. Being in a new place with older kids is always nerve-wracking, so we don’t need to add more stress. Plus, remember what it was like to start waking up at 6 a.m. as opposed to 8 a.m.? Sleep deprivation probably doesn’t help them.
Anyway, it is clear that most current eighth graders have similar interests when it comes to their thoughts on high school regarding nerves/excitement, classes, extracurriculars, and, unsurprisingly, lunch. Carson Mays from Apopka Memorial Middle School expressed their excitement, “I’m looking forward to more freedom and being able to see my friends that are there and also playing baseball,” Jordyn David also can’t wait for next year and all it could bring, “I am excited to have an opportunity to take college courses,” but they know the possible downsides, “I am worried my grades will suffer when I am in a new environment.”
The most popular elective groups amongst the incoming freshmen are athletics, art, performing arts, AVID, Spanish, French, and we have an exceptional number of new magnet students to come!
Students were given an opportunity to learn more about our high school with the orientation held in the auditorium, and while a majority of the interviewed people from Apopka Memorial Middle School went, a good chunk of the interviewees from Wolf Lake Middle did not. When asked if it made them excited or nervous, a lot of students expressed their fear of getting lost on such a large campus. Alyssa Ramos from AMMS said, “Orientation was fun. I enjoyed the fact that we were being welcomed into a new and different community. I also enjoyed the tour and being shown around.” Macy Murphy from Wolf Lake Middle shared this enthusiasm, “Orientation was good. It made me excited because I got to see what classes I can possibly have next year.”
It is evident that the class of 2022 is… interesting, to say the least. Here are some of the wackier, funny comments they made: “Ya like jazz?” – Barry B. Benson (obviously), “No thanks but i like lunch” – Stephanie Camacho (who was very excited about lunch in high school, and said they would miss lunch in middle school), “Keep the rules the same but make them better” – Camya Beckford, “Life seems hard.” – Frank Johnson, “Memes lol doge” – Christopher Gregory, and finally, “I bench 350.” – an undeniable truth from Carson Mays.