Nearly every State High student has been through the transition between eighth grade to ninth grade, whether they came to State High from Park Forest, Mount Nittany, or other districts. On Aug. 24, 2021, students of the class of 2025 flooded the halls for the first day of their freshman year. For many underclassmen, the shift to State High was a monumental new experience, with each individual holding expectations about high school. 

“I definitely was really worried going into it,” freshman Elizabeth Prenatt shared. “I had a lot of fear of who I was going to be with in my classes and if I was going to like it.”

Other students had similar things to say.

“I thought I was going to be super stressed, and I’d have a lot to do every day,” freshman Sarah Tate said.

The fear was not there without cause, though. As a student who learned primarily online in the 2020-2021 school year, Prenatt expressed the difficulties that came with at-home learning, such as heightened stress levels, along with a sense of being unprepared because of the State High tour being canceled. When it came to comfortability within State High, Tate and Prenatt had similar timelines, both claiming to have found their groove by the second or third week of school.

Other students are having less luck adjusting though, and some said that they have yet to feel comfortable in the building, such as freshman Daniel Cook, who claims he has “never” felt comfortable in the building.

Despite stress and fear running high during the 2021-2022 school year, almost all students prefer high school to middle school. Many say they like the new opportunities which make school more engaging. State High has a wide range of sports teams and clubs to join, along with the chance to take interesting classes.

Although it started out with a bit of uncertainty, the remainder of this school year looks promising for the freshman class.