The Puzzle Pieces of High School

It’s freshman year and you walk through the doors. You’ve probably walked your schedule a few times and have a sense of where you’re going, but other than that, you’re lost in a sea of high schoolers who tower over you, and you’re just trying to get through the day without being sprayed with silly string or a squirt gun.

It’s sophomore year and you walk through the doors. Maybe you came to school a day or two early and walked your schedule once if you needed to. This year, you have a sense of what you’re doing, and the seniors who once towered over you seem a little less scary; you’re adjusted by this point.

As a sophomore, I can’t fairly say anything about junior and senior year other than what goes beyond my observations: Juniors, you guys look like you’re struggling with APs and testing but are still making it, and seniors, well, you guys are at the top of it all.

Even though I’ve only been a student at LHS for less than two years, it doesn’t take much time to notice the divisions that exist between the grades here. If I were to make a parallel to the societal structure of Ancient Egypt, the freshmen, obviously, are the peasants; the sophomores and juniors are the artisans, scribes, priests and government officials; and the seniors, pharaohs.

But, this most certainly isn’t Ancient Egypt, and if two people have common interests, who or what’s to say that these people can’t be more than two faces passing each other in the hall or even, perhaps, friends?

Whether it’s the fear of talking to someone who’s older, or the fear of being thought of differently because you’re talking to someone who’s younger, there is a division that is present in LHS; each grade is a puzzle piece and fitting their rigid edges together can prove to be quite difficult.

From a sophomore’s perspective, freshman year is still in my mind, and I can recall the feelings of fear and shyness I had towards those who were older than me last year.

“I guess I find [the divisions] also sort of intimidating,” said freshman Lihn Tran. “It’s not even just that much, just the stigma around them…it’s just difficult to put yourself out there when you don’t feel entirely comfortable with it.”

Tran also stated that freshmen can find upperclassmen to be intimidating, but that people should be able to be friends with whomever they want, regardless of grade.

From an upperclassmen perspective, senior Jordan Mitchell reflects on his four years at LHS, feeling as though the time has flown by. “It’s kind of weird because when you were younger, you thought of the seniors as really old people, already driving cars and stuff, and now you look back and you see these tiny people and you’re like ‘Was I that small?’ And it’s not that you’re making fun of them or anything, but I just kinda look back and appreciate that I had such strong leaders when I was younger, so you want to try and be an example for the younger kids.”

We’re all afraid to break social norms, whether we are able to admit that to ourselves or not– myself included. These past two years in high school, especially freshman year, I was afraid to reach out to kids beyond my grade. This year, I’ve branched out beyond what these divisions suggest, and now, some of my greatest friends are juniors or seniors, and even a few freshman, for that matter.

I know that it’s scary to stand up for someone or to stand out among a crowd of people who are all doing the same thing, but the inexplicable greatness of life is that we have the freedom to make so many of our own choices, including the people who we surround ourselves with, whether it’s because of age or not.

Just remember you were that little freshman once, (and hey, if you are now, that’s awesome!), and that we all have a little more in common than what you may believe.