Features

Freshmen at KHS

Amelia Hurley, features writer| September 6, 2018

Throughout the halls of KHS, a wave of excitement mixed with fear rushes through the building. Many students enter KHS with a sense of familiarity, while some are overwhelmed by the crowded halls and upperclassmen that tower over them. With every push and shove, these students are nudged into the KHS culture. Here are the slices of life of three incoming freshmen.

Owen Hardy

He sprints up the field, eyes peeled for the ball. He sneaks through the opposing team, finally reaching an open position. He watches the ball speed toward him, takes his shot and scores. Owen Hardy, freshman, attended NKMS last year. According to Hardy, he is excited to take new classes and apply life lessons he learned in soccer to hopefully perform better academically in the high school atmosphere.

“My middle school experience was a struggle,” Hardy said. “The only highlights I enjoyed were playing the North versus Nipher soccer game my seventh and eighth grade year.”

Hardy plays on the select soccer team U15 STLFC Academy. He has been playing since he was 4 years old, and he is dedicated to his athletic career.

“[Soccer] is the most important thing in my life,” Hardy said. “That’s what I want to do when I’m older and that’s how I want to make money. I still think school [comes] first before soccer because having degrees in college can get me a lot farther than just my soccer skills.”

Sophia Zimmerman

She felt awkward when her classes were assigned projects. According to Sophia Zimmerman, freshman, other students could not comprehend why she wanted to work by herself or why she disregarded study guides and answer keys. Zimmerman said nobody could ever understand how she was an independent worker.

Zimmerman attended Nipher last year. She said she is excited to have more room to be herself and to be part of much more than she was able to in middle school.

“I think middle school, academically, was very easy and not that stressful,” Zimmerman said. “I’m wondering what high school will be like compared to that.”

According to Zimmerman, her favorite part of middle school was the flexibility and responsibility that came along with it. She said it was more of a mature and enjoyable environment than Robinson Elementary.

“At Nipher, I really liked having more freedom [socially] than in elementary school and being able to branch out,” Zimmerman said. “I’ve heard [in high school] to make sure you’re involved in activities and sports or else you’ll have nothing to do.”

Although she enjoyed the social aspect of Nipher, Zimmerman was not a supporter of the strict academic protocol, meaning the homework load and strict step-by-step rules that students were required to follow.

“I really didn’t like how much teachers would help because it seemed as if they did all the work for us, and I wanted to just learn on my own,” Zimmerman said. “I didn’t like being given study guides or being told ‘this is exactly how to take notes’ or ‘this is what you need for this class’.”

Zimmerman said she is nervous about attending a new school with unfamiliar teachers. Yet, she is looking forward to her new experiences at KHS.

“I’m excited to go to school with my NKMS friends and to be more like myself,” Zimmerman said. “I’m also looking forward to being part of much more than I was able to in middle school.”

Katie Weyerich

Although she enjoyed her small school, she was looking forward to having more of a variety of courses to take. While some high schoolers are excited about making friends, taking new courses and being a teenager, she has bigger things to worry about.

Katie Weyerich, freshman, attended St. Peters last year. Weyerich is excited to be in a bigger school and take new classes that were not offered at her private school.

“My middle school experience was very fun,” Weyerich said. “I had one of the best classes. We were all so close so we were always there for each other.”

In a small private school, it is a major adjustment to move to a large high school such as KHS, according to Weyerich. She said she is excited but also scared.

“I’m excited to be in a bigger school because I’ve always been in a compact environment,” Weyerich said. “Now, instead of all my classes being in the same hall, I’ll have to navigate around the school and figure out where everything is.”

Luckily, Weyerich is familiar with KHS. According to Weyerich, her siblings have set a great example for her to follow during school. Although this is helpful, she said, it also puts on a lot of pressure.

“I have a lot of expectations to live up to because my sister was a class officer and my brother was involved in journalism and was on the first football team to go to state,” Weyerich said. “I feel like I have to live up to my siblings.”