Since the first day of school, freshmen at Buena have formed diverse perspectives about their experiences so far. With each new day, Buena provides opportunities, extensive support and care for the newest students, helping to ease them into their first year of high school. As they enter their 6th week, the freshmen have started to take the reins and dive into Buena culture.
Ninth grade is the start of a vast and exciting journey for the majority of these students; A positive about Buena, as Freshman Lynh Thai puts it, is the array of classes the school offers. From unique elective courses like metal shop and culinary, to advanced placement courses like statistics, marine biology, and environmental science, students have the opportunity to find the pathway that fits them.
“I like that the school [offers] a wide range of classes, [which makes my schedule] more interesting.” freshman Lynh Thai said.
Athletic events are also popular with freshmen like Ithiel Negrete, who enjoys going to Buena’s friday night football games.
“The football games stand out [the most] to me [at Buena],” Negrete said. “I especially like going with my friends to have some fun.”
While at Buena, students report that their first impression of the school was relatively great and they are starting to get familiar with their fellow classmates and teachers. After the first awkward week of seating charts, signing syllabus’ and learning classroom rules, they are finally getting into the real work. However, for some, the challenge didn’t end after schedules were finalized, as the adjustment from middle school to high school bell schedules and normalities still hindered students.
“The [new] bell schedule really freaked me out.” Freshman Leo Peterson said. “I went from going to six classes a day to three different classes each day,”
Freshmen students also expressed their goals this school year are to be more academically centered and put more effort into their education than previous years.
“my main goal this year is to be really committed and [focused]. i’m also [going to] keep up in my classes,” freshman Jazmin Sarabia said.
Not only do students feel motivated to work, but they found that the classes and study areas that Buena offers are helpful to getting them through their first semester. Students learned that most teacher’s classrooms are open spaces to be themselves, while the student library has become shared among new students for studying and hanging out.
Overall, it’s clear that freshmen believe Buena provides a safe atmosphere, multiple resources and a warm, inviting community for incoming students. Whether students remain here for one, two, three, or four of their high school years, Buena proudly welcomes these students into their freshman year journey.
