With a new insurgence of freshmen sweeping the campus, few people spend time to get to know and love them.

Most freshmen start high school with only a few friends and build their own relationships but very few have the wisdom to ride in on the coattails of another.

“Derrick Lehman has been a big help to me,” Nathan Weis, ’07, said. “Because he’s from around Kerman, we have a lot of time to bond at youth group or during lunch. It’s great to have a close senior friend.”

Siblings often ease the transition when friends are few.

“I really like being in school with my sister Sharayah,” Rachel Bell, ’07, said. “We’re really close and we get along well. She’s someone I can go to when things get hard. She’s been through all the classes I’m in now, so I get input from her sometimes.”

Not all students have older friends or siblings to go to when they have academic struggles. Although, freshmen arguably may bear a greater workload than they did in junior high.

“Mr. [Greg] Stobbe has given my class a lot more responsibility than anyone else has,” Matthew Shattuck, ’07, said. “His English 9 Honors class is one of my favorites. It challenges me with a lot of homework; I have to stay up late a lot.”

Some students, like Shattuck, find sanctuary in the company of their favorite teachers. Others seek relationships in extra curricular activities.

“The homework in high school makes me tired,” Eric Beneke, ’07, said. “I have football and other activities. My assignments just draw time away from other aspects of my life.”

According to John Petragonas, ’07, high school does entail more responsibility than junior high, but the benefits are rewarding.

“Football helps me make friends because I’m out there messing around with them every day,” Petragonas said. “It definitely helps you gain popularity.”

Many, like Petragonas, find new friends in extra-curricular activities. Some students anticipate their siblings entering high school with them.

“I think it’ll be fun to have my sister Ellie (’08) in high school,” Hannah Wilhelm, ’07, said. “Even though she doesn’t like me it’ll be fun to harass her every day.”

Senior Cale Livingston is a close friend with his brother Austin Livingston who graduated in ’03. Cale has made relationships with freshmen an intricate part of his life.

“To find out more about the freshmen, go give one a hug and ask them about their life,” Cale said. “Take a freshman under your wing and teach them the ways of the high school student.”

Cale’s advice includes immersing oneself in small groups in order to fit in; there are also small factions of students who unite for off campus lunch privileges.

“Small groups connect freshmen with upper classmen,” Mr. [Scott] Falk, campus pastor, said. “Small groups allow them to participate with others in a close, personal setting that helps them ease their way into functions and activities.”