Let’s dive into this story by having our very own Hickman Kewpie begin questioning some students ! Freshman were asked to respond to a variety of questions regarding the school and their experiences during their first year.
Was high school different from what you expected? If so, how?
“[High school] is a lot better than I expected, because in middle school they would kind of hype it up and make it sound all scary,” Radley McKinney (9) said. “And it’s not that bad. You just kind of got to go to your classes and talk to people and do your work.”“I was expecting high school to be more strict.” Beyonca Seals (9) said. “My teachers, they don’t really care as much as my middle school teachers said they would; there’s definitely a lot more freedom and what you can and can’t do.“I was expecting it to be really difficult and hard.” Elliot O’Brian (9) said. “I was expecting to not to be able to find my way. Everything’s so easy.”
What helpful advice would you have for incoming Freshmen?
“The advice I have is to take it seriously, because grades are important.” Preston Bayman (9) said. “I have a friend who’s a sophomore retaking a freshman class because he failed it because he didn’t take it seriously. Advice I have for younger people coming into freshman year is to have fun and just take it seriously.”“Get your assignments done as soon as possible. Don’t procrastinate. Have good relationships with your teachers,” Abby Dowling (9) said, “and if you have a problem with one of your teachers, don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and change your classes.”“Go to all your classes and make sure you talk to new people so you know people in all your classes and you’re not alone just sitting there waiting for it to be over.” McKenney (9) said. “I know quite a few people that just sit there and wait for their classes to end.“The advice I would want to have is to do as many activities as you can,” Seals (9) said, “It’s really good to be in a community, especially in a big school like Hickman. Once I joined a lot of activities, I was more happy and more excited to go to school. It wasn’t ‘oh, I have to go to school’. I was ‘oh, yeah, I get to go to school, and I get to do this club’.”“Be physical, not in a bad way. Just train yourself and then do something as soon as you get it. Like your physics homework or your math homework.” Floyd Mason (9) said. “Even though it doesn’t help your grade, it helps you practice. It’s okay if you don’t fit in. Just find your kind of people.”
What has high school taught you about yourself?
“I didn’t have older friends until I actually started to come to high school. But now that I’m in high school, I have more people to steer me in the right direction. I wish somebody would have told me that before I came.” Cam Dawkins (9) said. “You are who you hang around. The more you put yourself around certain types of people, is what you’re going to be known as. […] I feel like people are gonna start to know me better, and they’re gonna help me the way I need to be helped.”High school made me come out and stop being shy. I started interacting with more people and talking a lot more. I feel like in high school I can do more to express myself and not worry about being judged.“I’m proud to be a Kewpie. There are definitely a few things that this school should change. All around, we have the oldest [High] school in Columbia.” Dowling (9) said. “We have lots of character. We have some of the best opportunities, even compared to some other colleges, when it comes to scholarships, the care program, and the Career Center. We are one of two schools that actually gets to learn German.”
Was high school different from what you expected? If so, how?
