Coming to the end of the school year means new beginnings for all of us, including eighth graders transitioning to their first year of high school. This also applies to seventh graders transitioning to the last year of middle school and beginning to think about the high school they will attend after they finish eighth grade. And sixth graders are becoming seventh graders. This year alone has also been a transition for all of us because we are coming back to school on campus after we had to do a whole school year online because of the pandemic.

Not only is the transition for us students, but also for staff and teachers. They will get new students to teach and new students to look after.  All of us are transitioning and starting something new but how do we all feel about this? Happy, excited, nervous, sad?  

“I feel nervous because I’m going to be a freshman and I’m going to have to meet new people, have new teachers, and make new friends too,” said Libne Moran, an eighth grader here at AJMS.

Not every eighth grader feels entirely happy that they are starting high school in just a couple months. Some actually feel a little nervous: starting high school means meeting new people, attending a new school, having harder classes and getting new teachers too. One can’t help but feel a little nervous inside. 

The transition affects staff too. Mario Garcia, one of the security guards here at AJMS said, “It’s been a beautiful journey with the eighth graders. I feel happy and sad they’re leaving. I saw these kids transition from their first year here (sixth) to their last year here (eighth). We have had good memories, I will miss them all and I wish all of them good luck in high school.”  This shows us even staff are affected by this transition. Some of the security guards here at AJMS know us as well as some of our teachers do. They have seen us grow up and become the people we are today. 

Another one of our security guards, Crystal Vasquez, said something similar. She said, “I feel proud of our eighth graders. It was a tough year because of the pandemic and because it’s our first year back on campus.” I agree with what Crystal said because honestly it has been some year… It’s our first time back from a pandemic so of course everything is different and not the same as how it was pre-pandemic where there weren’t as many precautions on health.

Discussing seventh graders transitioning into their last year of middle school Vasquez stated, “I feel excited for them, they get to enjoy eighth grade activities at the end of the year and I get to watch them mature more, they also don’t have to deal with the pandemic at the same measures as they did this year and last when they were in sixth.”

“The pandemic affected a lot of our kids, it changed their view on school,” Garcia said when asked how he thinks pandemic has affected us. He then added, “It has been challenging: sixth and seventh graders like to mess around and that could be because of the pushback the pandemic has given us. Kids become less interested in school but are very energetic. They can’t help but to mess around a little.” Garcia brought up a good point. One transition everyone faced was coming back to school on campus. I realized kids are less interested in school because the past year was so boring and not interesting. The pandemic really did change everyone’s view and opinion on school. It’s been more difficult to get kids back on task and used to what we did in school pre-pandemic.

Since school has reopened it has given us a chance to socialize with people in the same grade as well as the other grades. Some sixth and sixth grade students know and talk to a lot of the eighth grade students. how do they feel now that they’re leaving and becoming high schoolers?

“It’s not going to be the same, it’s going to be different and I’m going to miss you guys,” said Aylin Pulido, a seventh grader.

Seventh grade student Matthew Fernandez has gotten close with some of the students who are now leaving for high school, and also considered how he feels becoming an eighth grader himself. 

“It’s whatever, well not whatever but I’m somewhat worried. Teachers that teach eighth grade subjects might be more strict and the work is going to be harder.” As for the eighth graders leaving, “It’s very saddening  because… they are very close friends of mine.” 

This shows us that starting something new affects all of us, students, teachers, and staff  We went from the pandemic starting to taking online classes for a year and now going back on campus and ending the school year, some of us going to high school and others going up a grade. Either way all of us are starting a new chapter in our lives.

Vasquez has some tips one how to “survive” high school. She told us “stay focused, do your work, ask for help when you need it, and overall make good choices, it can take you a long way.” She then added “ Going to high school won’t be easy. You need to adjust to the school, acknowledge the work will be harder and meet new people.” Vasquez wishes all of us good luck, and I do too, sixth, seventh or eighth. Good luck, I truly wish the best for all of you.