In a Bear Facts first, we track a freshman through her first year of high school, Post-COVID style. How did the pandemic affect this Zoomer? The year will decide.

With warm weather coming, summer around the corner, and Regents coming up and/or happening already, that means one thing is certain: the year is ending and our first year of high school is coming to a close. Though the freshmen have been told numerous times that our high school years would fly by, it is hard to believe that it actually did; T-minus two and a half months until sophomore year is knocking at our door. However, before looking ahead at our future, which is something many adults have drilled in our heads to do, we should take a moment to look back on the 2022 – 2023 school year and realize how far we have come from September to now.

For starters, most of us freshmen have either learned how to navigate the treacherous and confusing world of high school either through upperclassmen that we have befriended or our own experiences. I am sure by now many of us have learned this past year who the harsh graders are, which subjects require more effort in order to succeed in it, every nook and cranny of the school, or even Brewster High School traditions and events that are held and why. However, many of us have also learned things that we can use not only in our next three years of high school, but also in college and in the real world. Some have said that “it’s never too early to start something,” whether that be learning a new skill or getting involved in a club, because in the end it could only benefit you. Others have stated that they have learned that it is good to take time for yourself. As great as it may seem to take all of the hard classes and join every club offered at BHS, burning yourself out in the end to give 100% percent in everything you do will backfire in the long run. So as we venture on into our second year of high school, we need to keep advice like this and everything else we have learned in mind so we can have great high school experience.

Being in BHS for a year has also exposed many of us to new experiences, hobbies, and culture. Students who were once quiet became more outgoing. Students who never knew what they liked maybe found a passion through a class. Or, some students might have made more friends with similar interests through a club. Whatever the case may be for you personally, us freshmen have grown in some way just in nine months. We have transitioned from the fresh-from-middle school kids to the almost-sophomores with all of the aspects of BHS being thrown at us, good or bad. However, these experiences we have been through only made us more prepared for the upcoming years of our high school career, and have given us the liberty to pass on the freshman torch to the Class of 2027.

It’s hard to imagine that we have already completed one out of four years of high school. We are no longer the babies of the school or the new kids on the block. From here the expectations only get higher and like at the beginning of the year, we will have to adjust accordingly. Yet, unlike the beginning of the year, the land is familiar, we know what to expect, and high school does not seem so intimidating anymore. So cheers to surviving our first year of high school and making it through in one piece! Have a great summer and see you next September, Class of 2026.