High school is tough for everyone at first. Some, more than others. Because of this, students should have time and help to adjust from middle school to high school. Students should be equipped with the knowledge to be able to succeed in the rigorous academic environment of Saint Viator High School. Freshmen often feel overwhelmed with the amount of work they are given initially during the school year. This also is one of the reasons students do not have much time to adjust.
While having the pressure of this work, students have to worry about learning their way around building, socializing, and after school activities like sports or clubs. This can really affect a student’s mental health at the beginning of the school year while feeling like they have to take all these things on at once. If faculty and staff took more time to help students adjust and learn how to approach school, it would take off a lot of stress off a student›s shoulders. Another area of concern is that not a lot of effort is put in to show students what will benefit them and what will help them throughout the school year. Especially for freshmen, this information could greatly aid students in the long run for high school, entrance into college, and getting a new job. Then, students will be prepared not only for high school but for life itself. Some things that were done to help freshmen were the execution of orientation day where students received a tour of the school and did some small activities for bonding. Members of the counseling department also came and spoke to freshmen. While appreciation for the effort should be recognized, other than this, nothing else was really done. Some of the concepts learned at orientation were great and made us aware about topics such as mental health and how to calm ourselves down when stressed, I believe we should expand on the topic. More dialogue should take place on important issues and teachers should be more mindful of the stress freshman are under. Making the high school transition process a bit easier for incoming freshmen and providing them with more support would benefit our school to ensure classes now and those to come are fully prepared to reach their highest potential.