High school is a time in a person’s life where they grow as a person, physically and emotionally. It offers many experiences for people to learn from and exposes people to new and unique opportunities.  Many people grow and mature throughout the four years, due to the greater amount of knowledge that they have acquired. When C.H.S. students were asked about their transformations they spoke of how they have matured and grown as people for the better.

Talia Marshall:

Q: “Do you feel as though you have changed at all since freshman year? If so, in what ways?”

A: “Yes, I’ve definitely matured a lot, especially academically. Now I actually know how to study. Freshmen, make sure you learn how to study now, don’t wait until it gets hard. I’m also just a lot more organized and put together, not that I’m super organized and put together now, so that says a lot about my freshman self.”

Q: “Do you think now in your high school life you would’ve changed more or is it what you expected?”

A: “I think it’s what I expected. I didn’t really want to change my freshman self, so I felt like I was going to stay the same and I feel like for the most part I really have stayed the same but I’ve just matured and learned more about the world.”

Q: “Do you have any friends that you’ve seen change significantly and/or do you have friends that have practically been the same since freshman year?”

A: “I feel like it’s a pretty even mix, a lot of us are just jaded now; go to class, do your homework, like we don’t really complain about oh I have 6 quizzes tomorrow, it’s just like okay go to class and go do your 6 quizzes-whereas freshman year we would be like oh my god, we have a map quiz tomorrow, I don’t know if I can go to school tomorrow!”

Julia Lindemann:

Q: “Do you feel as though you have changed at all since freshman year? If so, in what ways?”

“Do you think you have grown as a person throughout high school?”

A: “Haha, I’ve definitely changed since freshman year, and I’d like to think I’ve grown as a person. I’m more open to new experiences now, when before I limited myself and held back a lot. I’m a lot less shy. I was super shy freshman year, and I was bad at talking to everyone except the people I really knew. Becoming more open to new people and experiences, and kind of forcing myself to try new things, has taught me a lot about being more accepting towards myself and towards others. I also think I’m better at advocating and expressing my own thoughts and feelings. Because I was so shy, I didn’t stand up for myself ever, when in reality, I probably should’ve in some situations. Getting out of my shell and putting myself out there gave me a lesson in learning to speak up, not just for myself, for others too.”

Rachel Taylor:

Q: “Do you feel as though you have changed at all since freshman year? If so, in what ways?”

“Do you think you have grown as a person throughout high school?

A: “Yeah I think I’ve changed a lot since freshman year, but in a good way. I feel like I’m more prepared for college because every year I have a larger amount of homework which has, I think, gradually prepared me for a college workload.  I have had more experience with different types of teachers and have been more exposed to different teaching styles. I also feel like I know what to expect when I go into college, just in the way of how classes work, mainly because of the DE and AP classes that I’ve taken. I also feel like I’ve just matured a lot and gotten more social as the years have gone by. I believe I’ve grown throughout my high school years because I’ve gotten to have pretty cool and unique experiences with everyone from different grades. I’ve also just learned to be more open to new opportunities, academically and social.”

Jens Nordgreen-Svensen:

Q: “Do you feel as though you have changed at all since freshman year? If so, in what ways?”

“Do you think you have grown as a person throughout high school?”

A: “Yeah I probably have. I guess I’ve gotten better at studying habits.”

Q: “Do you have any friends that you’ve seen change significantly and/or do you have friends that have practically been the same since freshman year?”

A: “Well, I guess people have new interests and get into new things and activities.”