Dear Upperclassmen,

The class of 2023 came to the high school with quite a reputation.

You know exactly what I’m referring to. We came to our orientation in June already being judged by teachers, students, and staff members alike, without even getting a chance to prove ourselves.

Our grade has always been short changed with field trips, budgets and events.

We were the grade in middle school that was called to monthly meetings about our behavior and told how even the brand new sixth graders were more mature than we were.

The interesting thing is, when we walked through the doors of the high school for the first time, nobody mentioned the accomplishments of our class. We didn’t hear, “Oh, look! There goes one of the freshmen on the sports team that won the sectionals.”

Of course not. Instead, we heard, “Ew. It’s the vsco girls.” So let me tell you our side of the story.

As far as vsco girls go, just because some of us have Hydro Flasks, wear shell necklaces that we bought on our summer vacations, and care about the environment, doesn’t mean that all 250 of us have the stereotypical personality that you see on Tik Tok. I’ve seen some sophomores, juniors and even seniors who wear scrunchies, too.

Regarding our behavior, we aren’t all heathens who come into school planning on making everyones’ lives horrible. Just like in every grade, there are a few bad apples whose reputations are ruining the whole bunch. Or, let’s say, the whole reputation of the bunch. Our grade definitely has them. But are we all bad apples?

In my opinion, no. We’re not.

We’re freshman, we get it. We’re the youngest in the school, we’re the newbies. Some of us are really immature. But does our entire grade deserve the negativity, name calling and consequences that we’re getting?

No. Because, if you think about it, we have accomplishments that also deserve to be acknowledged.

Over 50 of us were accepted into the National Junior Honor Society. Many of us have come up with fundraising ideas that have made positive impacts on the Brewster community. There are freshmen members of the Brewster High School student government. We have joined clubs, sports teams, theater productions and other activities since entering the high school in September. I am currently working with several other students on a project that will bring more positivity to our school district (details to come).

We are doing our best to be accepted in the high school, and to graduate Brewster High School in 2023, having made our mark so that Brewster is an even better place for those who live here.

So please, upperclassmen, lead us and guide us so that we are a better, kinder, and more mature grade. With your help and example, we can come together as a team to work towards our goal: for us all to be unified and successful and graduate, rather than separate grades who don’t want to have anything to do with each other.

-Anna Whitehead,
On behalf of the Class of 2023