by Megan Lewer

3 floors, 4 buildings, 1 intimidated freshman not knowing where to begin. This was me on my first day here at St. Teresa’s Academy. Trudging up the stairs to third floor M&A where I found my advisory, I checked in. I then scurried to my first class, afraid I was going to be late, even though it was just down the hall and I had about 10 minutes before the bell rang.

I sat down in the back of the class. My skirt was stiff and freshly hemmed, which was an uncomfortable, foreign feeling compared to my worn in skirt from St. Thomas More. This just added to the uneasy feeling I had about high school. But I know that I wasn’t alone. I know most teenagers are nervous on their first day. I’m sure you were, too.

Mrs. Dolan broke the tension by cracking jokes and getting to know us all. Her warm smile, sarcastic comments, and slight Katy Perry resemblance made me think that high school wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Congratulations! You survived your first class!” she exclaimed as the bell rang to announce the end of the period.

Although walking into a new school may seem intimidating, it becomes more relaxed once you find your place.Throughout these first few weeks, I have been faced with many decisions to make. What clubs will I join? Who will I sit with at lunch? To play sports or not to play sports? These probably don’t seem like very important questions, but all of the answers lead to where I fit in at high school. St. Teresa’s Academy, a college prep school, not only gets you ready to face your future, it helps turn that scrawny freshman into a determined young woman who is comfortable doing whatever she needs to do to succeed.

Don’t sit around, lazily expecting opportunities to come to you. Have an open mind. Join clubs that you might have an interest in. I chose to join SCO (Student Community Organization). This will help me get involved and meet new people. The sooner you get involved, the better.

I know girls who grew closer to their teammates while playing tennis, soccer, or cross country. Maybe I’ll do basketball in the winter or track in the spring. The point is that there are plenty of opportunities to find your niche at STA. And even if you don’t in the first week, month, or year, you will, definitely, before you graduate.

Fortunately, now I have gotten used to walking in to smell whatever Bistro Kids would be serving on that day and comfortably making my way to my first class. My skirt is starting to feel broken into, my advisory is starting to feel a little more like home, and I am finally beginning to understand Mr. Thomas’s quirky sense of humor. I am making friends, and, most importantly, learning. High school is becoming more of an everyday thing for me, rather than a dreaded misconception of what it is made out to be.