Coming into Niles North as a freshman at the beginning of the year was pretty scary.  I went from being the oldest at my junior high, back to the bottom in high school. Plus, I would be going to school with 18-year-olds– basically adults. We’ve all heard stories of freshman getting shoved into lockers, getting pennied and carrying giant backpacks. Armed with the advice not to listen to people who told me to take the orange stairwell to the fourth floor, I was definitely scared to start high school. Looking back now, I’m quite surprised that none of those horror stories happened to me.

I was also surprised by the upperclassman-underclassman relationships. Besides the fact that they didn’t torture me, I still never would’ve expected to be friends with so many juniors and seniors. Through classes and various activities I’ve gotten to know and befriend many upperclassmen. They’ve proven to be great friends and mentors throughout the year. Unfortunately, the seniors have now graduated and I may never see some of them again.

Niles North is also a huge school compared to the junior highs. If you’ve gone back to any of the junior highs since being at Niles North, you know what I’m talking about– they’re pretty small. Coming into high school, I knew I would get lost. Yes, I was one of those freshmen who carried around a map and would show up five minutes late to my classes. But, to my surprise, that only lasted a week. Now I know my way around the whole school and can even give directions to others.

High school came with a lot of ups and downs. We had more projects, tests and homework. We also had to adjust to a brand new experience: finals. Despite the obstacles of freshman year, I’d say I had a generally positive experience. I enjoyed making new friends and I love that there’s something for everyone here at Niles North. You name a hobby or interest and there’s a club or after-school activity for it.

Overall, Freshman Year was not what I expected it to be. Let’s see what Sophomore Year has in store.