Being an incoming freshmen can be very nerve racking and scary for many people. Some can say that it’s one experience to never forget, and some say that it’s an experience they want to forget. 

This school year was very different for all students – some of them haven’t even stepped foot inside their school yet. Students have fallen into a routine of waking up five minutes before their class and logging on to a Zoom call.  But today, Greeley West brought all students back to school, together for the first time since Spring Break of 2020. There’s many concerns and doubts of everyone coming back, but one of the biggest groups of student concerns come from the freshmen class.  After all, how would you feel having your first day experience in the last week of March?  

David Lopez is one such incoming freshman and he is very happy things are starting to go back to normal. “I’m excited to see all my friends back in school. It doesn’t bother me that we’re starting this late, as long as we stay safe,” Lopez said. 

If freshmen had last names that were on opposite sides of the alphabet, this week will mark the first time they have been able to see some of their friends outside of a zoom meeting.  Freshmen were very excited for this opportunity to see their friends again in person.  Freshman Ethan Guest said he believes mixing the alphabet will finally start the normal freshmen experience.  “I am excited because I get to see my friends that are in M-Z. I am sad that I didn’t get my freshman year experience but I still had the experience of playing baseball and meeting new people,” Guest said. 

Freshman year can be a very important year to go through because it’s the year that opens students’ eyes to what school really is about. Guest had the baseball experience, but other freshmen have found ways to mix and mingle in the building, even without being able to attend home football games, Homecoming, or participating in spirit weeks that were not virutal. 

Freshman Osvaldo Mercado is looking forward to those experiences next year.  “I am sad that I did not get a full freshman experience because I didn’t get to go to football games, Homecoming, and all the fun pep assemblies. It is very hard to hang out or talk to friends this year, and the four block schedule is not fun,” Mercado said. 

Freshmen have mixed feelings about the return to school.  They’re excited about finally getting to see their friends in person, but are still melancholy at the social events they lost earlier this year.  In these final days of the year, freshmen hope to set themselves up for a regular high school experience next year.