The number of freshmen at TJ has soared past previous years and sets up a class that will find its strength in numbers.
Welcome to Thomas Jefferson High School Class of 2025! It can be a lot to take in but enjoy it because it is time for high school. The awkwardness of middle school days are finally over and now there is the opportunity to relish in the flash that is the grades 9-12.
There is a lot of catching up to do and with limited opportunities to be in a school setting over the past year and a half, it is natural to feel a little disconnected. The class of 2025 contains the highest number of students to embark on their four-year journey together. With this, there is power in opportunity: the opportunity to connect and build a community worth remembering. It may feel difficult to connect with people you do not quite know but, the advantage of being a freshman in 2021, is that there are more than 700 people in the same boat.
Dylan Hagerty, a freshman at TJ, shared that “[he] likes all of the outsides of school stuff,” he went on to say that “[TJ] feels like a community and we’ve been doing a whole bunch of things like the bonfire.” Hagerty, also being a crucial part of the TJ soccer team, remarked that he has enjoyed being on the team.
Freshman Nate Bolinske said that his favorite part about TJ so far has been the sports games, including the Regis Jesuit versus TJ volleyball game, which was the most fun he had had in a while. Additionally, he is “looking forward to the basketball season [which he has] heard is really fun.”
Freshman Will McBarron added to the “new-to-high school” perspective when including that “[he] went to a small middle school and now [high school] is a lot bigger.” Although things may seem a little overwhelming from time to time, it is important to remember that high school is all about finding your niche. To do so, explore the clubs and activities offered at TJ. If none of the offered activities interest you, create your own club. Yes, that is right – anyone can create their own club at TJ – so there really is no reason to not join school-sponsored activities. These clubs, sports, and other activities create opportunities for friendship, teamwork, and learning.
Take Hassan Almutkassi, for example. As a freshman who is already involved in many activities, he expressed his eagerness in TJ’s activities when stating “I’m really interested in debate club and I’m also interested in BSA.” He continued by saying that “I heard something about MSA, I might join that too.” With Almutkassi’s enthusiasm for participation in these clubs, he demonstrates a great strategy in exploring what the school has to offer. As a freshman, try your hand at a few things that sound initially intriguing, and then as the years go on, hopefully, there will be something that sparks a passion worth devoting significant time and effort towards.
Hopefully, for any freshmen reading this, the complexity of high school seems a little less stressful and the excitement for the next four years is ever-growing. With the privilege of being back in the building, the word that coincides with the class of 2025 is “opportunity.” Find what works for you and thrive.
