Walking through the doors of AHS on my first day of school was one of the most intimidating experiences I have encountered in my life so far.

Being the sort of tentative person I am when it comes to new ventures, as soon as I exited the doors of my bus, along with several other freshmen, I was oblivious to many of the upperclassmen who stopped to talk to friends in the halls, and went straight to my first class, W2 English with Ms. Davis.

It seemed almost ironic to me that when I walked into the classroom, I was one of the first people there.

Even though my bus arrived earlier than all of the others, I figured that other students would have arrived by that point.

So, my brother, Harris, and I asked the teacher where all of our peers were. She said with a smile something that has stuck to me this day. “It’s not 7:20 yet, welcome to high school!”

I remember thinking, “Wow, I am here, the beginning of what some call the best four years of their lives.”

Lois Kim, another freshman, told me about her thoughts after arriving at AHS for her first time “The main thing going through my mind was ‘Wow, this is it, I better not mess up starting from now on, because everything I do will follow me for the rest of my life.’”

It seems that the word “wow” was a favorite among freshmen vocabulary on the first day of school. So now, nine months later, the lessons imparted to me and to many other freshmen will not be forgotten.

The thought of entering any new school is always daunting, especially so for freshmen entering high school.

Many fears were passed among us, such as senior pranks, meeting new people and one of the more common ones, getting lost on your way to class.

Freshman Joe Rolen said, “I was scared of getting lost while trying to find my classes. However, after a week or so, it was much easier to find my way.”

Reflecting upon his first year at AHS, freshman Bryan Jefferson said, “Initially, I thought high school was going to be a huge pain, but with all of the sports and clubs offered and the friendly atmosphere, there is always some fun [to do], unlike middle school.

In high school, the most valuable thing you have is time. In middle school, it was all fun with friends. High school definitely makes you more mature.”

For many other freshmen, high school has been better than what they had expected.

“This year had been better than I perceived it would be, because the homework load wasn’t as much as I thought it would be,” said freshman Sam Dores.

From a personal standpoint, both of these statements ring true.

All of the options high school has to offer force students to manage their time wisely, whether it is between sports, clubs, classes, or for many, all three.

Immortalized by movies for decades at the stereotypical high school, freshmen are picked upon by the seniors or other upperclassmen through hazing or any other “rituals.”

In this case, AHS is not the stereotypical high school. While seniors may still have certain traditions, none are out of spite, but instead done for the entertainment of both sides, the freshman and the senior.

In fact, before school started, many freshmen attended an orientation, in which they received free t-shirts from the class of 2010.

I know when I received them, my worries of senior “traditions” virtually disappeared.

When the worst “trick” is telling a freshman about the whereabouts of a non-existent facility (which will not be mentioned for fun’s sake), it is safe to say that the school defies all stereotypes.

“This year was better than I expected it to be, because I didn’t fall for some tricks that seniors might attempt on the freshmen,” said freshman Jenny Jessen.

These tricks mentioned are not the infamous “swirly” that many television shows glorify, but instead humorous, as some would call, “antics.”

My first year of high school definitely opened my eyes to the real world, in terms of time management and independence.

In high school, the sky really is the limit.

You are who you want to be, not who you are told to be. That was the beauty of freshman year.

The thrill of being in high school was invigorating, and opportunities seemed, and still seem, endless.

I look back to this year with only warm memories, and I look forward with the hopes of only more good ones to come.