The hallways of Timberlane High School can seem nerve wracking especially as a new student in this school. It can seem very intimidating seeing the senior giants roaming the hallways.
As two seniors, we can tell you from experience that seniors are not as scary as the movies make them. We both came to Timberlane in 7th grade, so we both understand how overwhelming being a new student may be. To ease the freshman mind we’ve interviewed students they would like to know this year coming into high school. Along the way we also asked teachers what was something you would have known to make high school a better place to navigate and more of a fun environment.
Our Principle, John Vaccarezza, says “Talk to as many people as you can to see that there’s a lot more out there than what you’re used to. No one truly cares about your drama, so why should you? But you have to remember that freshmen are dumb, sophomores are dumb, juniors are dumb, seniors are dumb, and principles are the dumbest of them all. That’s why we’re all at school, so we can grow and learn.” Gym teacher, Alex Horgan says to “Try to meet new people that have the same interests as you!”
Know your schedule ahead of time and always make sure you know where your classes are so you’re never late or confused on where you are and where you’re going. – says Nurse Steph Borrows. As two seniors we agree! It’s always nice to know where your classes are, join some fun clubs with your friends or even create one, and to branch off and make new friends! High School is all about new experiences. Meeting new friends has brought me out of my shell and more exposed to things I would have never done.
Next, we asked some freshmen what questions they had for upperclassmen about high school and life outside of Timberlane, then we asked some upperclassmen to answer these questions. Here’s what they had to say!
Q: “Is there a lot of homework?”
A: Jillian Caruso, Junior at Timberlane, says “Not really, it depends on the class and the teacher but most of the time the only homework you have is the classwork you didn’t finish.”
Q: “Is it harder or easier to maintain a schedule when you have your driver’s license?”
A: Senior Adam Scalan says “It definitely is easier to maintain a schedule when you have your driver’s license, you don’t have to depend on people for rides to school and work.”
Q: “What are some of the different things that go on at school?”
A: There are many sports, like during the fall there is football, cheerleading for the football team, soccer, volleyball, and many others. During the winter we do have a ski club, that sounds super cool! There are also many clubs like Project Hope, Sustainability Club, Dance Team, and Surf Club. Sports change up every season, so you are able to do football and basketball if you like to try both this year.
Q: “What bathrooms are the most empty?”
A: We recommend not going to the bathrooms during passing period. All bathrooms will always be super packed during this time. But during class time, since we have gotten SmartPass, the bathrooms have not been as packed as they used to be. I recommend staying out of the cafeteria bathrooms since they are so tight and such a tiny space, it tends to fill super quickly. The Boys 300 and 200 bathrooms have the most chaos going on, and Girls Cafeteria and 400 bathrooms also have drama going on. The bathroom is overall not a place to hang out, and we advocate to not stay in there. It is overall where the most problems happen.
Lastly, our School’s Resource Officer, Calley Bortz has a few things to say to always keep in mind. “Stay off your phones, because what you do on your cell phones can impact the rest of your life, sharing inappropriate pictures is also a felony and a serious crime. Having them on your phone is a crime as well as taking them, sharing them and having any part of them is a huge crime and safety concern. In addition anything with tik tok and social media be sure to keep private to ensure your safety. Because some creepy bloke in Ohio could be looking at your profile and that’s not good. Overall I just want you to be safe and private on social media and only share your location with your family and close trusted friends.”
Hopefully you will now find that Timberlane is not as overwhelming as it may seem. We were freshmen once and confused where to go as well. Remember you can also ask the student next to you for help! With all the advice we have given you we hope you will be able to thrive as a freshman at Timberlane Regional High School!
