Starting at a new school can be exciting, but also terrifying for a teenager. Walking into a building where you know no one, with so many unfamiliar faces, new teachers, having to find your classes, worrying about who you are going to sit with at lunch, and how to make friends can be scary and stressful for a teenager. However, there are some benefits to becoming a new student, like a fresh start, new friends, opportunities to grow as a person, and try new things. To better understand what it’s truly like to be a new student in high school, I interviewed two students who recently moved to Kearsley High School.
The first person I interviewed, senior, Donovion Kinzer, moved to this school at the beginning of the year. I asked him all about his first week and what helped him become comfortable.
“My first week at Kearsley was nice,” Kinzer said. “I’ve met a lot of new people. I already had a handful of friends I met through sports, so that helped me get comfortable; making friends wasn’t a problem for me. Teachers and friends helped me get comfortable fast.”
Kinzer explained that because he did sports, he already knew some students at Kearsley, and they helped him make friends.
When asked if he was thinking about doing sports for Kearsley this year, Kinzer said, “yes, I am thinking about playing basketball, baseball, and golf for Kearsley.”
Kinzer’s experience as a new student shows that you can connect with people through things you have in common, in this case that was sports.
The second person I interviewed was freshman, Luis Leonardo Gonzales, who moved to Kearsley High School this year. He also just moved to America. He has lived in Venezuela all his life up until now and reflected on how that impacted him.
“I feel good because it’s a new stage in my life,” Gonzales said. “Coming from another country, I have made good friends, and everyone is very welcoming here. I was nervous about my first day, but after people started talking to me right away, I felt so much better about everything, and I knew everything was going to be good.”
Gonzales also mentioned that he joined a soccer team when he got here in the summer, and he made friends from that as well. Some of his previous teammates went to Kearsley, so that was very helpful for him. His experience showed that playing sports and getting yourself out there is very helpful to making friends.
Listening to Kinzer and Gonzales’s experiences made me realize that being a new student isn’t that bad. Yes, it’s scary and stressful. Still, that anxiety goes away once you find your stride. Even though being a new student does come with challenges and struggles, it also comes with growth and opportunities. Their stories demonstrate that starting over can be challenging, but it often leads to meaningful friendships and new experiences.
