For rising ninth graders at Lab, the first year of high school can have both its worries and its rewards. Eight U-High freshmen shared what they are most excited for about high school, as well as how they’ve prepared for their first year.

In Cruise Lickerman’s first week of high school, Cruise was most excited for taking harder classes and having more freedom within the school day. To prepare for ninth grade, Cruise spent the summer resting and relaxing.

Daniel Wu is most looking forward to everything in high school and, a few days into Daniel’s ninth grade year, is enjoying it so far.

Leon Dhal is most excited to meet new people and anticipates the “great experience” of ninth grade. Going into high school, Leon improved organizational skills, mainly through gaining homework experience.

In the first week, Cecilia Siegel is looking forward to meeting new people and having new experiences in high school. To prepare for the year, Cecilia read and talked to a lot of people over the summer.

Like Cecilia, Evelyn Halbach is enjoying having more freedom in high school. Evelyn feels “like there’s no way in middle school that you would ever have free periods because teachers would never trust you with that.” To get ready for the start of high school, Cecilia prepared binders and supplies for classes.

Zuri Cosey Gay is looking forward to the social aspects of high school, specifically “the sports games and the dances.” Starting the school year, Zuri is trying not to cram or wait too long to complete assignments.

Frankie Bishop is looking forward to meeting new people and joining the high school’s athletic teams and clubs. To maintain organization, Frankie has been using a planner, which he says helps.

Grace Labelle is most excited for English and thinks “there’s a lot of good opportunities in English.” For ninth grade, Grace has practiced organizational skills and signed up for tutors.

Asher Dennis is anticipating more challenging classes than what was available in middle school. “My dad made me read some of the high school material,” Asher said, “like the math book and the science book, and that prepared me for what we’re doing right now.”