As the 2022-2023 school year begins, new and old students grapple with reintegrating into an unfamiliar school schedule. The number of students in each incoming class has drastically increased, and the current freshman class is the biggest in Edison High School’s history. 

Although the effects of COVID still linger, students embrace change when dealing with a new normal. In spite of the many challenges to pandemic learning, rising freshmen and seniors alike take on a positive outlook.

“I’m pretty open-minded towards starting high school since whether I’m ready or not, I’ll have to learn to accept and thrive as a freshman, “ said Oyindamola Ayeni ‘26. 

“I’m so excited. Like, it’s [Edison High School] giving Victorious vibes!” said Pragya Bhatia ‘26.

“If I had to put my general feelings towards senior year in one word, it would be ‘excited’. This is my last year and I hope to make it count!” said Ria Shah ‘23. 

Rising freshmen and seniors also look forward to events and a multitude of opportunities from the wider range of clubs and societies. Seniors, in particular, look forward to leading other students and having exclusive advantages.

“I’m really excited for the events that I’m a part of planning, such as our annual Fusion play as a part of our Peacock Society, which I’m one of the presidents of. I’m also very excited about some senior privileges, such as the senior parking lot,” said Bryan Budhram ‘23. 

“Obviously stuff like homecoming, prom, and graduation are exciting, but the events I’m really looking forward to the most are just generally hanging out with my friends. Especially now that most of us [seniors] can drive, it opens up a lot of freedom,” Avinash Aravind ‘23 said.

“I’m excited for FCCLA, choir, band, and Peacock Society. I haven’t [even] decided what other clubs yet!” Bhatia ‘26 added.

However, despite being excited, many freshmen are nervous about transitioning from middle school to high school.

“I’m kind of nervous about my harder classes, especially AP Biology and math,” said Shriaditi Kancherla ‘26. 

“I’m anxious about getting lost. After a week I’ll be fine, but that first week will be horrible,” said Kyle Magnuson ‘26.

“At the beginning of middle school, I struggled with accepting failure and moving on,” said Kancherla ‘26 “[Now], I’m coming into high school with a better growth mindset. We should try to take our mistakes as lessons”.

On the other hand, rising seniors face certain anxieties and challenges as they take steps towards applying to and attending college.

“[I am anxious about] lots of college stuff, more than anything else. ‘Will I get into the right colleges?’, ‘Am I doing enough?’, ‘Are my essays good?’” said Aravind. 

“I am NOT looking forward to college apps,” said Shah.

“The only general anxiety I have is that I know what is coming. I know the difficulty of the stuff I signed up for, and that sort of takes away the fun in it, but I’m still hoping for a surprise!” said Lavanya Rao ‘23.

Having endured most of high school, our rising seniors note key lessons they have learned over the past few years. 

“You really need to treasure these four years. Friends come and go. Academics come and go. But, these years you’ll never get back,” said Pragya Singh ‘23.

“One main lesson I have learned over the past three years is the importance of not letting work pile up. It’s only when you are up-to-date do you get time to work on yourself, and that is extremely important,” added Rao.

“Take the time in high school to figure out who you are as a person,” Singh added.

Anxious yet excited, freshmen and seniors alike ultimately plan to adapt to a new school year by adopting new mindsets and focusing on making the most of the year. 

“In high school, I want to embrace different points of view and consider the perspectives of others. I think new ideas and experiences broaden our horizons and challenge our thinking,” said Om Patel ‘26.

“Since joining the EHS marching band I’ve had the opportunity to have met so many amazing upperclassmen who have been nothing but supportive. Even before school [starts], I already have a relatively solid support system in place which makes me all the more confident,” added Ayeni.

“During my transition into college, I will continue to have the idea of being proactive rather than reactive towards classes and assignments,” added Budhram.

“The main mindset I’m taking with me to college is the want to consistently improve, especially for the little things. I still have a few bad habits I need to fix. As long as I focus on trying to be better a little each day, I will be fine,” said Rao.