Preparing for High School

Published February 4, 2010

Making the transition from middle school to high school is no easy task. Not only must freshmen learn the ins and outs of a new building, but they also have to deal with new teachers, new rules and a whole new status on the social food chain. That's why the counselors at Brentwood Middle and Brentwood High are doing something new this year to prepare eighth graders for what lies ahead.

During the last week of January, the eighth graders at Brentwood Middle School made the trek to Brentwood High for a 45 minute presentation called What I Wish I Would Have Known as a Freshman. But rather than listening to teachers, the middle school students heard directly from their high school counterparts.

"We wanted this to be more of an informal discussion between the students," said Brentwood High School ninth grade counselor Janet Wulff. "We thought this would be a good way to relieve some of the anxiety they might be feeling. Plus, we wanted to dispel some of the myths and rumors about high school."

Wulff hand-picked a group of high school students from each grade to serve as a panel of experts. One-by-one, the high school students spoke to the eighth graders about their own freshman experience and provided a few tips for making the transition from middle school to high school. Among the suggestions: take as many AP and honors courses as you can, be active in clubs and other school-sponsored activities and don't give in to peer pressure.

There was also a question-and-answer session which allowed the eighth graders to ask anything they wanted. One eighth grader wanted to know if the teachers in high school are strict while another asked if students at Brentwood High can go off campus for lunch. Other questions included, "Can you chew gum in class?" and "What are some of the best extracurricular activities?"

When it was all said and done, many of the eighth graders in attendance said the presentation answered a lot of the questions they had about high school, and that they feel more confident about making the transition.

“I'm really glad they decided to do this," said Brentwood Middle School eighth grade student Meera Patel. "I learned that colleges begin looking at your grades as a freshman and that it's important to take as many honors classes as you can."