The fact that a daunting pile of homework will soon become part of your everyday routine is not nearly the most demanding part of ninth grade. The thought of getting lost or not making a sports team still doesn’t take the cake for the most significant adjustment. None of these diminutive problems will compare to the thought of being thrown into an entirely new environment, and if you are from Lincoln, an entirely new group of people. As a student from Lincoln, I didn’t spend much time over the summer panicking about the advancements in academics. Instead, I would lay awake wondering if the people I had known from ages two to fourteen would still be my friends after the first semester. Looking back on these late-night suspicions, I had nothing to fear.

Upon arriving at LS for the first time, I made a Beeline towards my friends. We stood in a group assessing the entirely new atmosphere. I remember glancing around trying to gauge who my friends and I might become close with. The thought of meeting so many people was scary, and the thought of having to befriend them was simply terrifying. Nevertheless, friendships naturally began to fall into place. As ninth grader Bella Reith shares:  “LS does a great job of allowing students to branch out.” One of these many opportunities appeared in a fall sport. I have met some of my closest friends either on the LS soccer team or through my teammates. “It has been a great bonding experience and an amazing way to meet new people.” says a member of the ninth grade soccer team. This sentiment is shared by different ninth grade athletes, as one states: “L-S sports create a fun environment to meet more people ”

Another amazing aspect of the ninth grade experience is the time teachers give you at the beginning of the year to adjust and get to know one another. As an incoming ninth graders, high school is made to seem as if you are thrown into a new setting and expected to understand. In spite of expectations, your teachers are aware of the adjustment and allow students time to acclimate to the new environment and get to know their peers.

Although the idea of a new group of people and environment may seem intimidating, it is a necessary part of growing up and expanding as a person. While you might not end the year with the exact same friends, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes it is necessary for people to grow apart in order to mature and develop into who they are meant to be. After all, evolving and growing up are what high school is all about.