School is back in session, and as the hallways of Ward Melville are flooded once again, we get a chance to reflect on the first few weeks in high school for the class of 2027.
Coming from two different schools, Murphy Junior High and Gelinas Junior High, the sophomores’ upbringings have slight differences, although both schools teach the same curriculum with similar activities and programs.
We spoke to a variety of Ward Melville sophomores about their experience and their opinions of the high school thus far.
Isabel De Bei: Describe your experience at the high school in 3 words.
Jordana Latham: Fun with friends!
Abha Khakh: New, adventurous, fun.
Sarah Wu: Hectic, busy, fun.
IDB: Which event has most excited you, and which event has scared you the most?
Scott Kady: The event that is most exciting to me is Trick-or-Treat Street. The event that scares me the most is midterms.
Zaina Khan: I am most excited to meet new people and create more friendships. While I have many friends who I love and enjoy, the excitement of making new connections and memories adds a thrilling feeling to your everyday life. The opportunities to make new memories, learn different perspectives and get out of my comfort zone will allow me to develop my social and personality skills. I am most scared of the workload in WM. Even through the first weeks of school, sometimes I feel like I am drowning in work. However, this has taught me to have better time management and work ethic, and I know that if I make an effort. I will be okay. Even if I feel something, I know that I will get up and try again.
Emma Fandrey: Probably the most exciting thing right now is Homecoming and the one that stresses me out the most is midterms.
IDB: What is your favorite subject/teacher in school?”
Nora: My favorite subject is Spanish, I love it!
Victoria Lachko: Probably, my favorite subject is Sociology, and my favorite teacher is Mr. Lapp.
Laasya Mada: My favorite subject is Psychology because I love the materials we’re learning.
IDB: Are there any specific differences between the junior high, like the phone policy, or the ID policy that you noticed? What are your opinions on those?
John Timpanaro: I feel like they are much more lenient with the things you do at the high school. Last year, I remember when a teacher saw a student with a Celsius and made them throw it out. They don’t care much about what you do for yourself, and you are all alone and don’t have teachers that will keep you on task because it’s your own responsibility.
Violet Visconti: I think the phone and ID policy is more enforced in high school. Sometimes not getting to go on your phone is a little annoying, but it’s not terrible. The IDs are easy to use, so I think they are good for the school.
Cole Eichner: The phone policy is certainly more forced upon us than last year at the middle school. The ID policy is very different as we need it to go to the bathroom and enter school, so I feel that sometimes that can become a little bit annoying. Overall, I feel that high school is a much more fun place and everyone wants you to succeed.
Khadija Tayabali: Not really. Everything is mostly the same.
Maddie Vega: One of the big things I have noticed is that here there are more opportunities to take part in clubs that I’m interested in.
Kayla LaMedica: There are some big changes from the junior high to the high school such as the freedom and opportunities within the high school. There is a huge amount of clubs and sports to join, which allows students to branch out and find a new liking.
IDB: What are your goals for this year?
Julia Bee: My goals are to do well in my classes and keep my averages above a 90%.
Skylar Berger: Probably to get good grades and improve my time management.
Julia Schmitz: One of my main goals this year is to excel at my sports and to excel in all of my classes as well.
The school year has just started, and I wish the best of luck to this year’s sophomores. We’ll check in later this year for updates on the class of 2027’s goals and journeys.
