Every August, a new batch of freshmen shuffle into the halls of M-A awaiting a fresh chapter of their lives. There’s no doubt that entering high school can be frightening, but it is also incredibly exciting. See how some freshmen feel about M-A after their first month.
Sophia Nguyen
Sophia Nguyen, who arrived from Burlingame Intermediate School (BIS), recalls being excited about starting high school. “When I first came here, I noticed that the campus is really big, but after just a month, I now know my way around,” Nguyen said. In high school, she wants to succeed in her classes and take accelerated courses. Nguyen is excited to join clubs: “I want to join a finance, math, and art club,” she said. Nguyen also wants to try out for sports. “I want to possibly join badminton and tennis,” she added.
Auggie Mille
Auggie Mille, who attended La Entrada Middle School, is looking forward to all the social horizons M-A has to offer. “ I’m excited to make friends, get good grades, and have a good time,” he said. Mille loves M-A’s positive environment. “Everyone has been really nice so far, and I like the layout of the campus,” he said. One of his favorite classes is French III, and he hopes to take AP French and AP Physics in his upcoming years at M-A. Besides classes, Mille wants to get involved in sports, saying, “I’m planning on joining basketball and volleyball.”
John Becker
John Becker, who graduated from Hillview Middle School, is excited for the classes M-A has to offer. Becker is taking drama this year. “I can’t wait to be involved with M-A’s drama productions,” he said. When not immersing himself in hopes of joining the Drama Club, Becker enjoys solving math equations in his class with Laurel Simons. He is also looking forward to the upcoming water polo and volleyball seasons. Like most freshmen, Becker immediately noticed the large student population and sizable campus. “I was surprised at how many people there were. I have to run around the school to get to my classes,” he said. One event Becker is eagerly anticipating is Club Rush.
Adriana Alvarado and Nelly Bracho
After attending middle school at Caesar Chavez Middle School, Adriana Alvarado and Nelly Bracho are thrilled to partake in the many after-school activities and electives M-A offers. “I’m definitely going to try out for the soccer team,” Alvarado said. Bracho is looking forward to taking art and Spanish classes.
Emerson Edwards and Harper and Tatum Krefetz
Being a first-year student at M-A means having to take a physical education class. For Harper and Tatum Krefetz, this really means having to wear M-A’s P.E. uniform. Tatum takes a strong opinion towards these uniforms, “I honestly hate the P.E. uniforms, they are so ugly,” she said. Emerson Edwards added, “They go down to my knees, which makes me feel like Adam Sandler.” Harper acknowledged how big M-A’s campus is compared to Northstar Academy, where she went to middle school. “Compared to Northstar, M-A has such a big student population, but it’s good to meet new people,” she said, adding, “It’s also weird that I don’t know everyone in my grade. I probably only know about a third.”
Adeleine Soltys
After attending Hillview Middle School, Adeleine Soltys and her friends are enthusiastic about “M-A’s outstanding spirit and sports.” Soltys is enjoying her class with math teacher Bobby Wong. She is looking forward to taking ceramics. Soltys is eager to join M-A sports, expressing her interest in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. Despite getting lost multiple times, she likes the large campus. “The school is massive and there are so many good teachers,” Soltys said.
Dylan Zamora
Coming from KIPP Excelencia Community Prep, Zamora has noticed changes in themes like community and school work between his previous school and M-A. “The people are really nice here,” he said. “The one thing that surprised me is that in middle school I had little homework, but now I have much more to do.” Aside from keeping up with academics, Zamora is excited for the upcoming season with the freshmen football team and is planning on joining the soccer team.
Oscar Barron
“I used to get only two to three assignments a week in middle school. Now that I’m in high school, I’m getting more than five, and that’s a big shock,” said Oscar Barron, who attended Kennedy Middle School. Barron’s two favorite classes are stagecraft and P.E. “They are really easy and fun classes and we don’t do a lot, I guess that’s why I like them,” he said. Barron is also looking to join the football, baseball, and soccer teams. When asked what he didn’t like about M-A, he said, “I hate how big the school is. I have a class in the C-wing and have to walk all the way to the portables in five minutes. It’s crazy.”
