Ninth Grade Transition

A Year of Big Changes

By Jamaina Canosa

It’s your first day of ninth grade, people are everywhere, and you feel lost and overwhelmed. You encounter unfamiliar faces of students and teachers, and are trying to fit in. Freshman counselor Kimberly Fella says you’re not alone. That’s probably how everyone feels when they come to high school for the first time. And it’s not just the first day either.

Best Advice for Freshmen

“The biggest piece of advice I have for freshmen is to stay on top of the classwork and homework,” according to Fella. “I think a lot of the complaints I hear sometimes from our teachers is that students aren’t turning in work.”

So, freshmen, make sure you follow her advice and make school your priority.

Fella also said that the teachers are very supportive at Howard and are often willing to go above and beyond for their students, especially when students are trying.

For instance, if a student doesn’t do well on their test, “most of our teachers offer the opportunity for corrections or a retake for a better grade. So, they should definitely take advantage of those opportunities,” according to Fella.

Along with keeping up with your academics, Fella also says that attendance is very important. If you miss six or more days, you will end up failing the class regardless of your grade.

“And then you’ve got to do credit repair, and you can only do credit repair for the academic classes. So now you’ve lost some of those elective credits, because you can’t repair those,” according to Fella.

Social Life

Often, though, it’s the social aspect of being a freshman that prove to be even more difficult. Students experience a lot of emotional turmoil in high school, and counselors are there to help.

“I always recommend [to students] to get involved if they have the ability to stay after school for clubs and activities, you know, find the things that you’re interested in doing,” Fella said.

And if there isn’t one that is available that you find interesting, you could always start a new club.

“I actually just talked to a young lady earlier today who would like to do some kind of a dance team, which we don’t have,” according to Fella.

Fella is helping this young lady by advising her of some of the ways that she could try to get her dance team started.

If you’re having trouble adapting, remember that you can always talk to your counselor who will help you with anything they can.

Fella encourages freshmen to take a chance and talk to new people.

“While you may feel uncomfortable talking to somebody that you don’t know in this new school,” Fella said, “they may be just as uncomfortable as you are. Eventually, those conversations are the beginning of a great friendship.”