OM’s freshmen and senior class reflect on their first quarter
We caught up with both the seniors and freshmen to get their insight on how their first couple weeks of school have been, what surprised them, and what they are most looking forward to.
Starting off strong with senior Kayden Bunting, who is drum major in OM’s notorious marching band. When asked how her first quarter had been she commented on how “It’s pretty calm right now, not too many tests like other years”. One of the biggest stressors for seniors during the fall season is college applications, which are usually due starting in November. Kayden’s advice for how she’s remained collected during this time is “just to start early. I would recommend starting all your [college] stuff in the summer so you can be less stressed during the school year”. Looking back at her time at OM, Kayden feels as if she has evolved greatly. “I’ve learned to use my voice more and be more of a community leader”. When asked what she was most glad to leave behind she responded with “honestly nothing because I feel like high school has really taught me a lot, and I am grateful for all the experiences, good and the bad”.
On the opposite side of the coin, we spoke to freshmen Tyler Williams, who is president for class of 2030. His expectations coming into OM were “to meet new people and to gain a lot more freedom”. In his actual experience, he felt as if “there are definitely more people and more freedom, but it comes at the cost of a lot more work”. The fall season is always jam packed with school events and occasions. When asked what experience stood out to him the most, Tyler chose “the football games were my favorite …. It gives us time to socialize ‘cause we don’t get a lot of that in class”. Being new gives people the opportunity to try new things and/or transform themselves. Tyler’s goals for this school year are to “get good grades, play baseball in the spring, and track in the winter”.
Senior, Marlena Tee also gave us her unique perspective on the first quarter. She told us that “it’s been really nice to see all my favorite teachers and friends again, but also managing work while applying to college has been a difficult task”. Expanding more on college and application season, her insight was that “it’s a lot of stress and worrying that you’re missing something. And even once you submit, the worry doesn’t go away, because you’re waiting on decisions”. Despite college being daunting, there are upsides to getting older and more familiar within your school. Marlena told us that since freshman year “ [she has] become more outgoing and more open to opportunities. They always told us as freshmen to get more involved. And I think since I did get involved I’ve been able to meet new people and find support systems that have really helped me throughout my high school career”.
To close off, freshman Harleen Sidhu gave us an overview of her experiences so far. Her expectations coming to OM were very positive. “I heard that the community is really good … and there really is a great community here. It’s fun”. One of her favorite memories so far is “definitely soccer. Our season has not been amazing, but building those relationships with others has been really fun”. Her goals for this year are “to maintain my grades and hopefully do well in track in the spring”.
So, whether you are just starting out or almost to the finish line, it’s important to always be willing to do your best and try new things!
