Freshmen First Night

    Good evening to everyone here tonight. I hope you all are excited to be in this building that is going to hold so many memories and experiences within your next few years. When I made the commitment to write this speech to you all, I sat down and thought to myself, “what would my freshman year self want to hear?” This is what I came up with: stay focused, study a lot, raise your hand in class, choose to go to the bathroom at the beginning or the end of class, join clubs, use your agenda, take notes and make intelligent choices. But then I thought about my own freshman year experience. The transition from middle school, where homework was a crossword puzzle, to high school, where you might just get to school when it is still dark out and somehow leave when the sun is setting, is understandably a little overwhelming at the beginning. Right around the corner, you will be starting your freshman year here at Whitman- Hanson. You will be meeting new faces and seeing new classrooms for all your new teachers who will teach you new material. You will have to make the big scary decision of who to sit next to on the first day of school in multiple classrooms and the cafeteria. Just to let you know, the person who you chose to sit next to might just be your new best friend. You will learn how to navigate the square shaped hallways that soon will carry the laughs and conversations you and your friends will make every day you walk through the double doors of Whitman- Hanson. Soon you will be starting the next chapter of your life that some call the quickest while some call the longest. High school is a time of self development and discovery. Coming from someone who is heavily involved in activities around the school, I have found out a lot about myself within these past few years. I vividly remember when I was a freshman on the girls cross- country team, and who I thought at first were intimidating upperclassmen would have us all gather around in a circle and do our little chant before our races. I remember them leading us in saying, “1..2..3..panthers!” I was amazed at everything they had accomplished in athletics along with academics, and I felt so welcomed because every single one of them was incredibly happy and treated everyone like family. Recently, I have been thinking about how much time has flown by because now I, along with all the other phenomenal captains of the girls and boys cross- country teams, are the ones who now lead the chant before we race. When I made the decision to join activities around the school, from participating in sports to joining many clubs such as the Student Council, I was making the decision to learn about how wonderful Whitman- Hanson truly is. I was able to be exposed to so many teachers who have positively impacted my academics and also helped me throughout my high school career, from giving me a hand in coming up with ideas for everyday projects to just having someone to talk to during the day. If I could sum up a piece of advice for all the incoming freshmen tonight, I would simply say: high school is an adventure of change and growth, so find the joy in the journey. Good luck to all the incoming freshmen as you start high school here at Whitman- Hanson. Thank you, and I hope you all have a great night.