Each year, freshmen deal with a drastic change from middle school to high school. Some of the typical activities include fall sports, academics, and extracurricular clubs and activities. Although it was difficult for freshmen to undergo this major transition, they were able to enjoy their first year at Roncalli, hardly stressing out. 

As a freshman, Samuel Smith was new to the high school environment. He had to spend a few weeks becoming familiar with the new school. Smith met new friends and had to become used to the homework in his classes.

“Roncalli is a lot bigger and you won’t know most of the students. It will take a few weeks to find your friend group and get used to all of the things that are going on at Roncalli,” Smith said. “Use your homeroom to work on homework and make sure you advocate for yourself by talking to teachers if you need help.”

At Roncalli, there are many different events to experience and to partake in. Smith enjoys these events since they bring him lots of pleasure and enjoyment. 

“The pep rallies are always so much fun. The Masses are always beautiful and the priests are very good at what they do. The sports games are very fun when you hang out in the student section.”

Smith credits his liking in math to his algebra teacher, Mrs. Kathy Kitchens. He believes that Kitchens has taught him useful concepts for the future.

“My favorite teacher is Mrs. Kitchens. She is very chill but also teaches  algebra 1 CP very, very well. I have learned many things from her that will prepare me for next year and the years beyond,” he said. 

Excelling in his biology class, Smith finds this class interesting and amusing. He takes this class since it will prepare him for other rigorous Science classes in his future. 

“My favorite class would definitely be biology Honors. This has been a very fun, intriguing class that has taught me many things and will prepare me for other science courses in the future.”

Smith believes all freshmen should consider taking a fine arts course during their first year at Roncalli. 

“I recommend choir, it’s very fun and also a very easy way to get your fine arts credits. If you don’t like singing or reading music, you can also take tech theater, which is another easy class you can take to get your fine arts credits,” he said. 

Freshmen Helen Kim enjoyed the fall events such as homecoming and the football games because they were great events to interact with other students. 

“My favorite events were the football games and homecoming,” Kim said. “ Homecoming was fun because of the music and getting to know people. Dressing up for homecoming was fun as well,” she said.  

Kim finds her English class pleasurable because of her teacher, Mr. Jesse Moses, who does an outstanding job at teaching. 

“My favorite teacher is Mr. Moses. He is an English teacher who is very laid back and chill,” Kim said. “I like his class because he does a good job at teaching English,” she said.

Freshmen Lola Neitzke did not have a hard time becoming used to the Roncalli environment, due to her spending time with new friends as well as old ones. Neitzke believes that making friends and spending time with old ones is a great way to become more involved in the Roncalli community. 

“The only advice I would give to incoming freshmen is to branch out and make new friends. Keeping in contact with friends from middle and elementary school is very important, but meeting new people and making new friends is very important as well,” she said. “Roncalli is a bigger community of students so you can’t always have classes with the people that you would choose. This allows for more opportunities in friendships and bonding with classmates that you wouldn’t have otherwise met,” Neitzke said. 

Enjoying spending time with her friends, Neitzke attended the Roncalli football games to experience the Roncalli spirit.

“Football games and any sports events are very fun to go to when you have friends to go with. Trying new events is fun because you get an experience like no other. Football games allow for bonding between classmates that you can’t get in the classroom,” she said. 

Even though Neitzke finds her English class somewhat complex, she mainly enjoys the class because of her English teacher, Mr. Anthony Walters. 

“My favorite teacher is Mr. Walters. Despite the class’s difficulty, I feel like he is a fantastic teacher. I have learned more this year than I have in any other English class that I have taken in the past.”

With a passion for biology, Neitzke thinks that biology is a great class for freshmen to take, so they can learn more about life. 

“I think as a freshman you should take honors biology regardless of how you think you would do in that class. I would also recommend a fine art or extra class that will lead you down the path of your career,” Neitzke said. “My favorite class is Honors Biology. I feel like that class allows me to broaden my understanding of how life works and lives in harmony. I would recommend Honors Bio to anyone who is even a little bit interested in Science!”