By Liliana Gonzalez
Photo by Liliana Gonzalez
In the 2022-2023 school year, Willow High School decided to allow eighth graders to be housed in the high school building, rather than the new middle school building. This was changed due to many eighth graders taking high school classes, which means that the eighth graders come to the high school a year earlier than they would have before. So, how do the incoming eighth grade students feel about this?
The general consensus is that the eighth graders like being at the high school a year early. However, there are plenty of things they dislike. For instance, the high school building is more spread out, meaning that it can be more difficult to find your way around.
Compared to the high school, the middle school building is small. The high school has four floors, while the middle school has three. Overall, the general area of the high school is larger than that of the middle school.
“The building is a lot bigger than I expected,” said Sofia Partesotti, eighth grader. “It was hard getting around the first few days, but it gets easier when you know where your classes are.” The eighth graders have to get familiar with the high school to be able to easily navigate it.
The bigger building also means they aren’t able to see their friends as often. This year they are more spread out across the school. For instance, in between classes, students don’t see many people they know.
“I don’t get to see my friends at school as much as I used to,” eighth grader Naomi Gugel said. “A lot of us have different classes at different times, so I rarely get to see them.”
Gugel also says that she and her friends do not have a great place to eat lunch. “We have to sit on the ground in the hallway, rather than in the cafeteria, like we did at the middle school.”
At the middle school, the eighth graders were the oldest, so this year, they have to adjust to becoming the youngest in the building. Fortunately, many eighth graders have stated that they feel comfortable with the upperclassmen.
“I think the upperclassmen are all very friendly,” said eighth grader Lucia Gonzalez. “Many of them will wave in the halls or say hey.”
Another eighth grader, Evien Miller, said, “If I am having a problem, someone will be happy to step in and help.”
One thing the eighth graders find positive across the board is that the high school’s class choices are much more diverse and specifically chosen than in middle school. There are greater opportunities for the students to find what they’re interested in.
“I personally did not like the middle school more,” says eighth grader Mathilda Sullivan. “I find that the high school gives you a lot more freedom when it comes to class choices. Throughout elementary and middle, almost everybody was on the same course, and now you are able to choose what classes you would prefer to be in, whether that be exploratory or advanced core classes.”
