What a Difference Four Years Makes

Observing the evolution of the high school student from freshman to senior year

This year’s seniors, the class of 2024, are on the path to graduation. This is a path that they started on four years ago, and have worked hard ever since to reach their academic, extracurricular and personal goals. The freshmen this year, class of 2027, are only just beginning this four-year journey filled with their own goals and aspirations for the future. Four years apart, the two classes may appear to have entirely different perspectives about the value of education. However, further investigation reveals that, despite the four year difference in experience, seniors and freshmen actually share many similar ideas on the value of education. 

Both seniors and freshmen shared their personal perspectives on their outlook towards their daily school life. Both age groups emphasized not only the importance of strong academic effort, but also of having fun in the school community.

“Honestly I think I try to do my best to get stuff done, but I also, I try to have fun while I’m doing it. I think it’s not worth it if you’re not going to ever have fun with it or you’re not going to ever do what you enjoy,” South freshman Julianna Radza-Frei explained. “If all you’re going to do is going to focus on getting good grades, then honestly I dont think it’s even worth it. So I get good grades, I try to do well, I finish good work but I’m always trying to find a way to have fun while I’m doing it.”

Many seniors shared a similarly positive outlook on their school lives.

“I kind of focus on my daily life, I don’t know, just trying to have the most fun as possible, you know, trying to leave an impact on my underclassmen in a positive way,” South senior Donovan Locklyn explained.

“I think I try to come with an open mind, I think the senioritis is already hitting, so it’s a little harder to get up in the mornings and get myself into school but I think once I get here it’s just kind of going about my day per usual,” senior Clare McDonald said.

Furthermore, freshmen and seniors also shared a similar perspective toward the importance of high school and education in general. One of the most crucial elements of high school,  according to both classes, was to get good grades in preparation for college and future careers.

“I think the most important thing about school is to make sure to always get your grades right, because as a senior and stuff college is right around the corner, if you know what I’m saying, so I have to make sure everything is okay so I can get into the college that I want,” Locklyn said.

Freshmen gave similar perspectives on the elements of school that matter to them.

“What you do in school shapes your future a lot,” Radza-Frei explained. “What matters to me more is actually getting knowledge and understanding what I’m learning and being able to have knowledge that’s going to help me later and that I’m going to be able to use.”

Another important aspect of education, according to one freshman, is the expansion of your understanding of the greater world, rather than only the smaller community where you live.

“I think it’s really important to get education so you can understand the world better and how there are other people outside of our town, because when we think about here, when we think about people, we just think about the people around us and not people outside and in other countries and other cultures,” freshman Atticus Flynn commented.

A number of seniors explained not only the academic value of school but also of the important connections that students gain throughout their high school experience.

“I think connections that you make in school, I think whether it’s friends or teachers, [or] faculty, and then being able to continue your education,” McDonald said. “So going to all your classes, getting the most out of those learning experiences, it’s really important.”

Both seniors and freshmen that saw high school as an important opportunity as part of their education, also expressed their intentions to continue their education in college.

“I think it’s really important for people to seek higher education if they really have any sort of intentions of making the world a better place,” senior Bela Donahue remarked. “Not to say if you don’t go to college you can’t do that, I think there’s a lot of different paths you can take in your career to better the community and the world around you, you have to. I think people who are striving for more challenges and stuff should definitely look to higher education.”

Freshmen echoed the same sentiment of high school and college being important steps in life.

“I think that if you want to find a place for yourself in society it’s a lot easier to do so with education than it would be otherwise because a lot of the jobs and stuff that pays a lot of money you have to go to high school or college before you do that,” freshman Brennon Ruef noted.

Despite being four years apart, and often assumed to have entirely different perspectives, freshmen and seniors showed that they actually sometimes do share a similar understanding of the value of education. From their approach towards high school education to their individual experiences and plans for the future, the perspectives of both seniors and freshmen have proven to not be so different after all. 

By Julian White

Full magazine PDF here: