Q: What is the best part of your high school experience so far?

A: “It would probably be band.”

Q: What is the worst part of being here so far?

A: “That’s a hard one. Nothing’s really super bad, but not all of it is awesome and wonderful.”

Q: Is there anything you’re really excited for this year or for later years in high school?

A: “Probably continuing in the STEM academy. It’s really fun, there’s a Chesapeake Bay field trip that we go on every year and that will be really fun.”

Q: Do you plan on doing any dual enrollment or AP classes?

A: “Yeah, those sound really interesting. There’s dual enrollment public speaking, I’m kind of interested in that later on, and dual enrollment engineering. I really like engineering and figuring out and making stuff that works in new ways.”

Q: What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

A: “Right now only band, but I’m thinking about getting involved in the debate team and potentially forensics with public speaking.”

Q: What is one main goal that you plan to pursue throughout high school?

A: “Definitely STEM and the engineering stuff. I want to get better at writing, writing speeches and just talking as well.”

Q: What do you do after your school day besides band?

A: “I play an instrument called the mandolin, it’s like a mini four stringed guitar. It’s like a ukulele but the strings are actually doubled up. Technically it has eight strings but you play it like it has four.”

Q: What do you wish you’d known before coming to high school

A: “Probably all of my class choices, I came from a private school so I didn’t have all the options that people from public school did. I’m sure in public school they announced things, like an eighth grade band night I didn’t get to go to. One thing I wish I’d known is just to listen to upperclassmen, they’re pretty helpful. I kind of ignored the stuff my brother and his friends would tell me, I’m quickly figured it out that I shouldn’t have ignored them.”

Q: What advice did your siblings give you?

A: “One of them was don’t be the freshmen that shushes people, because if you’re a freshman, you don’t have any real influence or power that comes with time and experience.”

Q: How long did it take you to adjust to being in high school and back on the bottom?

A: “I consider myself a pretty flexible person, so not long, maybe a few days. The first week was kind of very humbling, now I’m kind of used to it. There are still things where I’m like, ‘Oh, guess I can’t do that anymore.’”

Q: Did you expect high school to be any different than it is?

A: “Yeah, I expected it to be a lot more crowded. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh HHS is super crowded,’ and it is definitely overcrowded, but if you stay in the empty halls it’s not that bad.”

Q: What is your hardest class?

A: “STEM biology by far. We have a lot of homework, however I have Mr. Blosser and he’s a really good teacher. He’s really interesting and he’s pretty funny too.”

Q: What is your easiest class?

A: “Public speaking or creative writing. I’m taking intro to Public Speaking, that’s really easy we have no homework… for that one.”

Q: What classes do you wish you didn’t take”

A: “I’m pretty happy with my schedule.”

Q: What classes do you wish you had taken?

A: “Newsstreak would have been pretty interesting I think, but that’s hard and I was already juggling STEM Academy and band and things that would’ve been taking up all of my time.”

Q: Do you miss anything from middle school?

A: “Well my private school was very friendly. I knew everybody and you’re top of the food chain, so to speak where everybody knows you even if you don’t know them, and everybody respects you. Being a freshman, it is fair that we don’t get all of the respect we had in eighth grade, however I feel like we might be a little too much disrespected, especially by the upper upperclassmen.”