For many students at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech), the end of December means just another semester completed, but for freshmen, this means concluding their very first semester of high school. Many of these freshmen reflected on their introduction to high school with great uncertainty and ambivalence.

From challenging classes to an entirely different social scene, the class of 2028 expressed how difficult this semester was. Struggling to adapt to the new changes high school provides, students were conflicted about how it compares to middle school.

Angela Hua ‘28 shared her experience with tough classes and how she navigated through them. “I think the [class] that was probably the most challenging [was] English, because honors is definitely different,” she stated. Hua further explained that they, “read a lot more than I was used to, but I think I really enjoyed the challenge and [believe] I grew as an english student in the past semester.” 

While some students are still learning to navigate their difficult classes, others find their classes manageable, gliding through them with ease. Freshmen also expressed their quick adjustment to faster paced and more intense classwork.

Evelynn Whatley ‘28 felt that her classes went smoothly, particularly enjoying her math class with Mr. Powers. However, she did feel that, “finals were a bit harder than [she] expected.”

Moving from  middle school to high school is quite a change, but freshmen have been adapting to the social dynamic of high school in a rather positive way. Whatley stated that, “people are definitely a lot more social in high school [with] clubs and sports where [they’re] interacting a lot more.”

Other students expressed their indifference to the societal change such as Miguel Hernandez-Bravo ‘28 who felt that there was no major change compared to his previous school.

“It’s the same because all my friends [are] here, so there’s really no difference,” he stated.

Choosing which high school to attend is a very important decision that many students struggle with, however, most freshmen at Foothill Tech expressed their confidence in choosing the correct school for them.

Surya Polamarasetty ‘28 shared, “It’s a small school. It’s a lot more academically inclined … but I like it. The classes are nice [and] the programs are nice.”

It is no secret that there is much debate when comparing high school with middle school, but with freshmen optimistic about the new year, there is no doubt the rest of high school will be an exciting and fun new experience for them.