Young girls entering their freshman year express heavy concern about their transitional period to Eleanor Roosevelt, the #1 school with some of the most diverse programs and extracurricular activities to date. With over 2500 students who walk the halls, the new environment can be quite overwhelming, especially to the new population who have just entered. How often have you faced uncertainty, girls of 2029? We made a Q&A to select a few responses:
1.”How not to fail biology?”
2. “How do I talk to my friends effortlessly without always just talking about school?”
3. “How do you start new friendships? Most of my friends have either not come to Roosevelt, or we eventually stopped talking.”
4. “How do you manage to build leadership as a freshman? I know all good things come to those who wait, but like there’s literally nothing I can do this early on.”
Biology is one of the first sciences that students are required to study to graduate from high school. Try your best to pay attention to the curriculum, ask questions when needed, and write things down! It may feel tedious, but notes are extremely useful! In the classroom, the workload might be a drastic change from what you received in middle school, but you must be mindful of deadlines, always be present in school, and do your absolute best no matter what.
Sometimes, when you don’t know someone well, it’s easy to default to something you both have in common, school. However, school is boring! And you can only talk about it for so long until it’s dull and repetitive. The solution to this problem would be to bring about new topics that you and the person you’re talking to are interested in. Try to talk about the world, your hobbies, how they feel about recent events, or even random, silly questions that might make them laugh. If you’re struggling with making and keeping new friends, don’t be afraid to engage! Say hi in the hallway, help each other with assignments, and do what you can to keep in touch.
To gain leadership roles as a freshman, make sure to involve yourself in extracurricular activities you are passionate about. Showing up and putting effort into these causes demonstrates your initiative and will showcase your potential to obtain the leadership roles you’re after! We are one of the top schools to have a diverse range of extracurricular activities to choose from, so find your piece of cake!
It’s important to remember that people change from adolescence to young adulthood. Though it may be painful, making and losing friends is a part of life; people come, and people go. Friendships are tools that you can utilize as a measure of growth throughout your life. As you find your own circle, you outgrow others. Don’t let the loss of old friends hold you back from making new ones! Participate in classroom discussions and programs after school. You are bound to share one common idea with another person in your circle.
Senior Glory Audu is the president of the Student Government Association here at Eleanor Roosevelt. When she was also a freshman here at ERHS, her concerns, based on her experience, were also acknowledged by some of the respondents. While she ran for the student body, her campaign was “the perfect way to have a voice”. Regardless of what you want to achieve through school, it would be best to “familiarize yourself with administration” and all the levels of staff members of the building. To navigate comfortably through the years, “just be friendly! Always. [And] Don’t lie.”
The adjustment can get rough, but understand that as students, we are bunched like peas in a pod! Even without the “support system” from familiar faces, it’s possible you’d find opportunities to make new friendships because of that. At the end of the day, “nobody bonds more than a struggling class.”
While most freshmen “talk to their friends from middle school” during this year, it’s important to find your niche. A popular way to do this is to join our existing clubs: “Korean club, Italian club, [or] African Student Union”! Popularity isn’t a guarantee, but as long as you talk to people who “already share something common”, you will be making a subtle, but fantastic start to a very important stage in your life!
Are you looking for an opportunity to meet with a diverse community of female students in ERHS? Come to SheReady! The SheReady program focuses on the readiness of females aged 13-18 with emphasis on academics, the work field, and personal growth across many high schools in PGCPS and the District of Columbia. Ms. Cecilia Penn-Diallo, the founder of the program, “cultivates sisterhood” with each session. The Sheready program has been a part of ERHS for two years, meeting monthly in the cafeteria during seventh period. Female students are greeted with a group of adults that advocate for the Sheready program, including Ms. Young, who is the representative for our high school. By “holding everyone accountable and supporting one another”, Cecilia works to “enlighten young girls” with each session at our high school. Join the community by texting “she ready” to (833-733-6020). “Sheready, she wins”!
That’s all for now, raiders! We hope these responses will motivate you to take charge and better your high school experience. We are putting our faith in you and your ability to excel, socially and academically! Make sure to keep an eye out for new articles being published by the Raider Review, as well as monthly SheReady meetings.
