The freshmen are inflating the numbers.

What numbers?

Discipline referrals.

A few weeks before the first semester ended, Mr. Matt Moore, assistant principal, released the first semester discipline numbers and they are not good regarding the Freshman Class.

Moore said the Freshman Class usually has between 150 and 160 discipline referrals, but this year the freshmen have 290.

Compared to the other classes, the Freshman Class have more than half of the referrals in the entire school at 57 percent.

The other classes are as follows: the sophomores have 123 referrals for 24 percent, the juniors have 36 for 7 percent, and the seniors have 62 for 12 percent.

Moore said that freshmen usually account for half of the referral count, which the Freshman Class has. But he said there are more referrals overall this first semester.

“I have never seen anything like this in a school year before. It reminds me of middle school students, and it is not just boys or just girls, but both genders are playing a role,” Moore said.

The main problems in order of referrals are insubordination and being disrespectful, class disruptions, and using cellphones.

The good news is Moore said the number of freshman referral incidents have been decreasing.

“I have not seen most of the people I usually see in here about four or five times a week,” Moore said.

Mr. Brian Boudreau, dean of students, thinks it is because of the immaturity.

“For freshmen, it takes them awhile to get used to the teachers and how things work,” Boudreau said. “Whereas, sophomores, juniors, and seniors know the routine.”

Most teachers and upperclassmen advise freshmen to stop their behavioral issues before they ruin their freshman year by messing up behaviorally and academically.

Mr. Ed Councilor, history teacher, thinks freshmen struggle to adjust to high school because the expectations that students are held to in middle school are different.

“In middle school, you have a different experience,” Councilor said. “In middle school, you act just like a kid, where in high school you are expected to act like an adult. It is just a different learning experience than the middle school.”

Once freshmen make the transition, which is maturing, one of their hardest years can definitely turn into the easiest year.

One problem at the beginning of the year is that many freshmen find it difficult to get used to a bigger school with more students.

But making the transition is not a huge issue. Freshmen just need to focus on their work first while focusing on their friends later.

Ms. Caitlyn Hudgins, Spanish teacher, thinks it is hard for freshmen to realize when they are supposed to be serious and when they can be goofy.

“I think ninth-grade students have a hard time functioning because they are not used to how things work and where the limit is when it comes to joking around,” Hudgins said. “Whereas, sophomores, juniors, and seniors know when it is time to play around and when it is time to be serious.”

The key to a successful freshman year is not only maturity, but time management.

In high school, everything matters. Even getting written up can be a big deal depending on what college you want to go to.

The good thing about being a freshman and messing up is that a freshman has time to fix his mistakes.

The most important goal for freshmen to keep in mind is they need to remain on track with their credits to graduate on time.