With the first marking period coming to a close, many freshmen have now fully adjusted to the high school.  

Julia Dzurenko is a freshman at Glen Rock High School and has been in the Glen Rock public school system since kindergarten.

“Middle school to high school was the easiest transition for me,” she says that overall, “In middle school you are more supervised, it is kind of like you are in a little bubble. In high school, you have more freedom, different classes, drop schedule, you get breaks from some classes which is nice because of homework”.

One of the most challenging things to adjust to is the new drop schedule. The school day is designed so students drop two classes everyday. This gives them a break from harder classes and also can give them extra time for homework. The one challenge is that at first, some can find it confusing and difficult to get used to.

“It took me about a day to get used to, it was challenging at first but then I got the hang of it. I also like it because you don’t have the same classes everyday, you get a break from your hard classes,” Dzurenko said.

She also loves having longer periods. In middle school, the periods are typically around 45 minutes while high school they are around one hour long. Dzurenko explains how less periods makes the day go by faster. Although the longer lunch period can be long without having homework to do.

Another difference is that students have the opportunity to have classes with other grades. Although this may be intimidating for some, Dzurenko says that it doesn’t really affect her. “It’s not really that intimidating, you become friends with them or you just ignore them. I’m not affected by it.”

Dzurenko also agrees that the rules are more laid back and the teachers are less strict. Saying that now being able to carry her phone around, she feels “protected in an emergency situation.”

Overall the middle school to high school transition has been easy for Julia and many other freshmen as well.