By James Claussen and Jacob Ying
The Class of 2028 hit the ground running as Lovett’s newest freshman class. Settling into Upper School is a big change for many students. We spoke with some freshmen to see how their year has been going.
Becoming an Upper Schooler affords many privileges that Middle Schoolers do not have, such as carrying backpacks to classes, going to the café during the day, eating lunch around campus, and having free periods in our schedules. Many freshmen love the ability to eat lunch wherever they want. Danny Diulus explained that “it gives me more opportunities if I had to go to lunch tutorial.” Carrington Long concurred. “It gives me the opportunity to study during that time and be with my friends wherever on campus,” she said. Henry Forrester views it as a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria. “You can get away and get to a nice spot where it’s more quiet,” Henry said. Carter Holden likes sitting wherever he wants during lunch because “you can actually get with your friends and talk more to them, and then you can also go back for seconds.”
Other freshmen, like Jack Mischner and Jay Stevens, explained how much they loved being able to go to the cafe whenever they wanted. Choosing lunch spots and going to the Cafe are clearly privileges the newest batch of upper schoolers enjoy.
Some of the changes are a little less enjoyable, like an increase in workload. Still, for many, it seems manageable. Carter Holden remarked that “it’s not the biggest jump, but there is some of a jump” to high school. Jack Mischner said that “[he] knew it was going to be hard, but it isn’t the worst.” The freshmen both felt that while high school is harder than middle school, it is not impossible.
When we asked about academic adjustments, we got some mixed answers. Carrington Long noted that there is more responsibility in knowing your calendar and when assignments are due. “I think the workload is heavy, it is a lot heavier than the 8th grade. The teachers sometimes assign tasks online, instead of mentioning them in class. We have a bigger responsibility and accountability for our own work in our classes,” she said, adding, “[in middle school] a lot of the teachers did the majority of the work and sort of held your hand along the way. In Upper School, you are expected to know it all and be able to catch on very quickly.” Danny, on the other hand, thought, “It’s just right in that perfect Goldilocks zone.”
One way to distract themselves from the new workload is to go to the café throughout the day. We decided to ask about what different people’s favorite orders were. Jay Stevens picked a classic, the Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit, which Danny Diulus liked as well. Jack Mischner said that his favorite order was poundcake, while Carter Holden remarked that he liked a “cookie with a Powerade.” Carrington preferred something more sugary, saying that she enjoyed a “cinnamon apple turnover and a Cherry Coke Zero OR a Small Iced Coffee with Caramel.”
As for other big adjustments, the new phone policy was one of the biggest changes that the Upper School has had for a while. However, for freshmen like Carter Holden, it is not nearly as big of a deal due to the Middle School rule, which requires students to put their phones up for the whole day. “I don’t really care. We had this exact same rule in middle school, so it doesn’t [really] affect me,” he said. Carrington Long would prefer to have her phone, but she also sees some positives. She said about other students, “When I see them during the day, they are socializing.”
Overall, this year’s freshman class is a very positive group. When asked to describe their year in one word, students were optimistic. Carrington said her year was “lively.” Jay found it extremely “fun.” Carter thought it was very “exciting.” Jack Mischner’s year has been very “chill.” Everyone seems to be optimistic about high school, even with the extra workload it requires. After all, we can always go grab a piece of poundcake between classes.
