Everyone who has been to high school knows that freshman year can sometimes be a bit of an overwhelming experience, but here at the Academic Magnet, we take pride in making our freshmen feel at home. According to Jason Gould, Student Body Secretary, freshman year to him was “not real”.  Freshmen post covid have been able to participate in the annual tradition of summer scholars, which allowed students to get a general feel of the school atmosphere. Students were able to meet their teachers and form friendships early with their fellow classmates. I had the amazing opportunity to meet these new freshmen and get an early understanding of how they would be as a class. Now that the initiation is over, I have taken it upon myself to interview freshmen on how their first week of school as a raptor was.

Tripp Bates- (9th grade)

To begin this series I decided to interview the most popular freshman football player Tripp Bates who plays cornerback on the

Academic Magnet Defense. When describing his first week of school, Tripp said the environment was very friendly as he began to make friends with students in all grade levels. On Tripp’s first day of school he started in French 2 with Dr. Altman, who he believed to be a nice face to see first thing in the morning. Then Tripp has Biology with Mr. McCormick who he recalls as being a very funny and entertaining teacher. He then has PLTW Engineering with Mr. Lovering, and according to Trip

p, this class is where he seeks most improvement. To end his day he has Geometry with Ms. Weisskopf, where he enjoys learning more about the wonders of mathematics. When it comes to school lunch, Tripp finds his favorite meal to be the grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, as he loves the duality of the food, as he can eat the soup and sandwich by themselves, or combine them to enhance the flavors. At lunch, Tripp sits with his friends Ryan and Jack. After school, Tripp goes to football practice which he describes as a brotherly experience. According to Senior Right Tackle Connor Sawall, the football team is “his family and they always have each other’s backs”. Tripp’s other teammate OL and DL Max Peters, describes Tripp as an athletic machine to the team. As of now, Tripp rides the bus, but is hopeful his friend Nikos Paraschos will drive him to and from school in the future.

Grigs Scott- (9th grade)

Next in this series I interviewed James Grigsby Scott, or to his friends Grigs Scott, who is an up and coming player on the Academic Magnet Football team. According to Grigs, his favorite A day class is computer science as it provides a fun experience with a challenging aspect involved. His favorite B day class is human geography, as he enjoys learning about human creation and the development of our current global system. Grigs says he sits with the same people at lunch everyday including his friends Anson, Tripp, Jack , and Brady. As of right now Grigs is playing on the football team, but is hopeful to join the golf team later in the year. As club fair is on the way, Griggs is excited about joining the ping pong club and the college football club. A word of advice Grigs offers to his fellow freshmen is “Stay focused on fortnite” as it can lead to further analytical development.

Anson Harrison- (9th grade)

Our next member of the series is Anson King Harrison, otherwise known as Anson, who is also a newly committed member of the Academic Magnet Football team. Anson’s favorite A day class is PE as he especially enjoys the volleyball unit, and competing against the girls. His favorite B day class is Algebra 2, as he loves the ability to be given independent time in class to work on his assignments. Anson has a group of friends he sits at

lunch with including Will, Cole and Griggs. Anson is an athletically motivated student as he plays football now, and hopes to play basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring. Anson wants to participate in activities with his friends such as the college football club led by Harrison Crites and Connor Sawall. Anson wants his fellow classmates to know that “Connor Sawall is the goat” and that he will help with any future sports related activities.

John Myles-Olson- (9th grade)

Holly Manning, one of Academic Magnet’s amazing mentors helped introduce me to John who is excited about his freshman year. John’s favorite A day class is PE as it gives him an opportunity to stay active and have fun with his friends. John’s favorite B day class is AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) as it introduces him and his fellow classmates to the complexity of computers and programming. John is eager to join the Student News program as gives him an opportunity to let his bright personality shine. John is also a candidate for the position of freshman class secretary and would like his fellow classmates to know that if they are a freshman, they should vote John for secretary. John is looking forward to the school wide famous event known as wall day, and helping his class set up their wall.

Serena Guiris- (9th grade)

Holly also introduced me to Serena who is eager to begin her magnet journey and make lots of friends. Serena’s favorite A day class is PE due to its benefits for her social life and mental and physical health. Serena has two favorite B day classes including study hall for its time to complete homework and Spanish 1 due to its rigor. Serena hopes to join key club, which to those who do not knwo, is a community service oriented club. She also hopes to join mock trial as well as maybe create her own poetry club. Serena is most excited about going to Magnet football games and dressing up for different themes. Serena wants her classmates to know that she is a great candidate for being a friend as she is super friendly and interesting.

Academic Magnet is excited for these students and the rest of the freshmen class to have an enjoyable four years, and as a senior, I am excited to introduce these students to an amazing experience filled with spirit and studies.

Toodaloo Raptors, Jordan