As June 8th approaches, the graduating students of 2017 are counting down to the day to put on their cap and gowns and attend Heritage for the last time. As they get ready to begin a new life of countless possibilities, a new freshman class is getting ready to attend their first day on the campus, hoping no mistakes will be made.

Soon enough, August will be here, and a new class of students will arrive. The 2017-2018 year for the freshman will be viewed as laid back and a lenient year because of such a large transition being made for them, but there should not be a result of the mindset that this year will not have meaning. There is a mistake within the message to freshman that it’s okay to make a mistake now, because it will not show up in a decision for college.

“The long classes seem rough, but overall the freedom of it all seems cool, I can’t wait to have classes that are more fun than I have right now [at Adams]. I believe this next year should be chill because I hear that teachers take it easy on you,” said Annabelle Irwin, incoming freshman from Adams.

What seniors have to say about this is all in personal experience, however. It’s true that most upperclassmen steer clear of freshman, no matter how blunt that may sound, but that does not mean they do not have a word of advice for them for the upcoming year.
“I would advise freshmen to focus on themselves more because in the end it’s going to be you and a select few people, no one is going to remember the drama, it will make you better prepared for college to focus on yourself as well. I wish I would have taken different classes to better prepare me for my future goals, not team sports which all my friends took and we just screwed around,” said Josh Lanier (12).

While Lanier’s mindset was more based upon focusing on oneself, some seniors believe that one must get out there and be more extroverted.

“I wish I would have tried out for more things as a freshman. You shouldn’t let anything or anyone hold you back! And as for academic based goals, while classes might be easy enough to not put in much effort, make sure to get good grades because colleges do count freshmen year!” said Kayla Sutton (12).

A side effect of giving an implication that freshman year is ‘meaningless’ has a sort of lasting effect. Teachers often see a lack of effort in freshman classes, and this trend often follows them throughout high school.  Freshman who avoid this miss conduct, however, have been seen to have more of a higher effort rate and continue to have better grades.

“Grades are a reflection of what you learn and what you master but it’s also a reflection of work ethic. If a freshman comes in thinking freshman year doesn’t matter, they will bomb the entire year, and they don’t put in the work they need to put in. They haven’t developed any discipline or work ethic. But for the students you realize the mixed message is just ridiculous, they are the ones who will be successful for the next 4 years because they have developed a sort of grade cushion and they know what’s coming to them Sophomore year and on,” said  Mrs. Gonzales a freshman English teacher.

In the upcoming year, a new freshman class is going to arrive, and in continuation of previous freshman classes, most all of them will have their mixed messages and poor judgement for their first school year at Heritage. Teachers hope to see a change among the new students, and hope for the misconception of freshman year to be washed away.