Freshmen Abby Mercer, Ellis Gregory, Sofia Rodriguez and Ronald Webster are nearing the end of their first year as Bulldogs and are ready to move on to the next.

Abby Mercer

Q: When you first went into high school at the beginning of the school year, what expectations/hopes did you have?

A: I was hoping that it would be scary but it turns out that it’s fun. After you get used to going to all your classes and remembering where to go then it’s fine–it’s not scary. 

Q: What were some things you were nervous about at the beginning that you aren’t nervous about now/you ended up not being nervous about? 

A: I couldn’t get into my locker at first but then I realized that not many people use their lockers. You don’t have to because you can carry your backpack around. Getting to classes on time is a lot easier than I thought it would be because the school is so big. [he high school’s layout is] different but I didn’t find it as scary as I thought it would be–I adjusted really well to it.

Q: What was the best part of your freshman year? Why? 

A: I think it was the different kinds of classes you could take, like art classes. I didn’t have that in middle school you couldn’t do anything else but in high school you get to do more fun things. 

Q: What changes do you want? 

A: Keep all my work caught up on, don’t put off anything and make sure I’m trying my best to get grades up. 

Q: As the school year closes, how are you feeling about being a sophomore? 

A: I’m not as nervous for it, I’m more excited [because] I get [to take] more fun classes next year. 

Q: What were some things you wished people would have warned you about? Gave you advice on?

A: There are a lot more group projects or projects where you have to present.  

Q: What is one piece of advice you remember that helped you as a freshman?

A: During passing period, don’t stop and talk to people and crowd the hallways–just get to class and get there on time. 

Ellis Gregory

Q: When you first went into high school at the beginning of the school year, what expectations/hopes did you have?

A: That I would have more opportunities in middle school than they gave–theatre, sports, etc. 

Q: Now, looking at it, what were some differences from that? 

A: It lived up to what it was cracked up to be. [We have] a lot more opportunities for any extracurricular activities.

Q: What were some things you were nervous about at the beginning that you aren’t nervous about now/you ended up not being nervous about? 

A: Finding classes. It’s a big school so it’s difficult finding classes the first week.

Q: What was the best part of your freshman year? Why? 

A: When we performed Beauty and the Beast on the New Albany stage. It was fun getting to perform with my fellow classmates and be able to entertain a bunch of people and go to ITF (International Thespian Festival). 

Q: What do you look forward to come senior year? 

A: I heard it’s the best year and [I look forward to] enjoying classes as much as I can before junior year and senior year hits. 

Q: What changes do you want? 

A: I would want to be more extroverted–talk to more people and make more friends. 

Q: What were some things you wished people would have warned you about? Gave you advice on?

A: The structure of high school is way different than middle school so knowing how to do what, what the unwritten rules are of high school, where to go for what. 

Q: What is one piece of advice you remember that helped you as a freshman?

A: Keep your grades up, that your GPA is important, and that if you want to get anywhere in life you should probably get good grades.

Sofia Rodriguez 

Q: When you first went into high school at the 

beginning of the school year, what expectations/hopes did you have?

A: I kind of expected everything to be a lot more intense [and] a lot of pressure on us to do really well on everything. I was really scared [and] nervous because I just knew there was going to be a lot more people and that the teachers were going to be really hard on us–but it definitely wasn’t anything like that.

Q: Now, looking at it, what were some differences from that? 

A: There is definitely a lot less pressure. I thought that it would be a lot scarier than middle school. There is in the sense that there are a lot more people but in the fact that the teachers are a lot more relaxed in middle school, I thought they would be a lot more strict but they really are not.

Q: What was the best part of your freshman year? Why? 

A: Meeting new people for sure. I was really scared to meet new people but then once I started meeting new people and seeing how cool everyone was definitely my favorite part–just all the new people I have met.

Q: What things are you looking forward to sophomore year? 

A: Meeting some more new people. I’m hoping that having more classes with the same new people that I met this year that I’ll still see them.

Q: What do you look forward to come senior year? 

A: I’m very excited for the freedom you get. I think it would be really fun with your friends with senior sunrise, senior sunset, senior skip day, senior prank day. I’m so excited for the typical, annual festivities.

Q: What changes do you want? 

A: I hope there’s a lot less pressure on students to do so well on everything they do [and] to grow up fast. This is the only four years you have before you go out in the real world [and] they need to let students figure out how they want to live their lives and what they want to do. In college you might change what you’re studying. They should let students enjoy the last two weeks of school. In middle school the last two weeks you didn’t do anything in school, but in high school the last three days of school are exams.

Q: What is one piece of advice you remember that helped you as a freshman?

A: Life goes by really fast so do what makes you feel comfortable. Don’t take everything too seriously. You have time for everything and everything is going to work out the way it should. Don’t worry too much about the little things.

Ronald Webster 

Q: When you first went into high school at the beginning of the school year, what expectations/hopes did you have?

A: I hoped that we had more freedom than we had in middle school.  

Q: What were some things you were nervous about at the beginning that you aren’t nervous about now/you ended up not being nervous about? 

A: Getting lost on my way to my classes on the first day–it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.

Q: What was the best part of your freshman year? Why? 

A: I really liked being able to get used to this school and how everything works and how all the rooms are layed out. I like getting to meet new people that I didn’t get to meet at Scribner because they went to other middle schools. A lot of my friend group came that went to Hazelwood that was nice.

Q: What things are you looking forward to sophomore year? 

A: I’m excited for chemistry and psychology. Those are the two classes I picked for next year. I want to go into something for science in college. Chemistry might be something I’m interested in.

Q: What do you look forward to come senior year? 

A: I haven’t really thought about it that much. Senior ditch day sounds fun and prom seems really cool too.

Q: What changes do you want? 

A: I want it to change and go back to the way it was before Covid hit–it was different having to wear a mask.

Q: As the school year closes, how are you feeling about being a sophomore? 

A: I’m feeling pretty excited because this year went pretty well and I’m looking forward to next year and see how that goes.

Q: What were some things you wished people would have warned you about? Gave you advice on?

A: The school seems overwhelming because it may be bigger in middle school–but it’s not scary. Once you find out what subjects you’re in it’s pretty easy to figure out where to go.

Q: What is one piece of advice you remember that helped you as a freshman?

A: [Don’t] try too hard to fit in. Be yourself and take care of what you need to take care of.