Starting a new school is anxious and scary for anyone, but imagine being an upperclassman and having to start at a new school where you don’t know anyone. Jenny Lange, counselor at Parkway Central High School, tells us about the struggles of being in a new school as upperclassmen.
“I think one of the biggest struggles for upperclassmen who have moved to PCH is building friendships and social connections. It can be very hard to break into established friend groups and start all over at a new school,” Lange said.
Every student and their family has reasons for moving to a new area, junior Yasmine Benamor and her family moved to St. Louis from Gabon, which is located in Central Africa. Benamor said she moved for family reasons.
“Because actually my dad moved to Saint Louis one year ago and also, I was waiting for my brother to go to college here,” Benamor said.
Senior Naiya Ginsburg, who moved from Northern California, has a similar reason for why she moved.
“Family. All my family’s here, so it was just me and my dad. Everybody else was here,” Ginsburg said.
A new environment can be a change especially when you moved from a completely different country, even the smallest things can be a surprise. Benamor was actually surprised about her start at PCH.
“Actually it was perfect. Like I was stressed at first, but it’s actually really nice. I like the school. It was not hard. I’m not gonna lie, it was not hard. Like, I met a lot of friends,” Benamor said.
The process of moving to a new school as a senior can be a challenge, so how can some transitions be like? Ginsburg tells us in a different perspective on her time at St. Louis and PCH.
“I would say it’s not that bad because I’m familiar with the area already. I mean I came back here for every break during school, and so it wasn’t like I was totally in a random place,” Ginsburg said. “I’d say the school year has been pretty good. I’ve been able to make friends and maintain friends, and I like all my teachers and my classes.”
It is important to new students to have a good support system, someone to make the transition and experience more positive. Lange understands the struggles of the transitions and does what she can.
“Counselors try to be as warm and welcoming to new students as we can and ask them to seek us out if they need help or are struggling with their transition. Being friendly and reminding them to ask for help when they need it goes a long way in helping them feel welcome,” Lange said.
As the school year goes new upperclassmen seem to grow and adapt to their new environment, from making new friends to getting more involved with school, they come a long way from where they begin. Lange is often surprised to see how quickly new juniors and seniors can adjust.
“Sometimes I am very pleasantly surprised to see how quickly new students acclimate to their new school community. In most cases, this is the result of new students joining a team or activity that brought them together with people they could relate to and with whom they could build friendships.,” Lange said.
Even between all the new friends and environments our upperclassmen are around, they still miss things from their old homes. Benamor tells us people and places she misses from Gabon.
“I feel like my future is here. Like I have to go to college here, you know, graduate here, but what I miss the most is my friends and the beach. I miss the beach so much,” Benamor said.
Ginsburg misses something similar too, coincidentally it is also a part of nature. Some nature just doesn’t quite exist here in St. Louis, like beaches Ginsburg misses a tree located in Northern California.
“I think I miss all the redwoods in California. The redwood trees,” Ginsburg said.
