The freshmen students of 2017 were able to experience a transition into high school like no others.

The elimination of teams from the middle schools last year gave the new freshmen an opportunity to experience what it would be like to move from class to class independently—while still being in eighth grade.

“When I found out that there were no teams, I thought ‘oh gosh’ it will be so much harder to get around on time,” freshman Kristina Johnson said, but it turned out to be a lot easier than she had thought.

Freshman Ike Bertels said transitioning from not having teams in eighth grade seemed to help with going into high school.

“I think it made going from class to class feel more comfortable,” Bertels said. The only difference between middle and high school was the size of the school itself.

Sophomore Brandon Johnson stated it was a pretty big jump from eighth grade to high school and said he had to start trying a lot harder in order to obtain all straight A’s.

On the other hand, sophomore Abbie Hensley said she thought coming to high school would be more of a challenging process than it actual was.

“I thought it out to be a lot worse, while in reality it was relatively painless,” Hensley exclaimed, she enjoyed becoming close with her peers on her eighth grade team, but now that she is in high school she is able to branch out more and meet several new people.

For most, the first day of freshman year can seem to be a bit of an overwhelming experience, anxious kids trying to get around the jostling hallways and students scouting out their new lockers.

“On the first day I thought I would get pushed around in the hallways since that’s what some sophomores had told me,” Kristina Johnson said.

Overall, being prepared and coming with all supplies needed can seem to be the best route as a new student at Edwardsville High School.

Bertels said he walked the halls beforehand to figure out where his classes would be located. “Sure, I was a little bit nervous being a freshman, but I felt prepared.”