One of the most intriguing aspects of high school relationships is the chemistry between the youngest and oldest classes: the freshmen and the seniors. Many seniors look down their noses at the freshmen, with some even viewing them as ants that scatter whenever their glorified senior foot appears at the scene. Others have pity on them, hoping that once they become sophomores, they’ll be accustomed to the high school way of life.

As per any other relationship, there are different kinds of interactions between freshmen and seniors. For the most part they are neutral, but at times the meeting can take a turn.

“Seniors are pretty chill; however, they can also be a bit mean,” freshman Carlex Tiemeni said.

A key point to remember is that seniors were once freshmen too, making the two classes more similar than they may think. In addition, many seniors have changed over the course of their high school career, which means that three years from now, the freshmen will be different as well.

“I’ve got friends who were really difficult freshman year that [have become] genuinely decent people by the time they got to sophomore and junior year,” senior David Fiumano said. “I feel like that has happened to me too.”

Despite having to share a building with individuals four years younger, seniors have learned to appreciate the youngest of the underclassmen. After getting to watch them more closely, many seniors now have a changed attitude toward freshmen and their behavior.

“I remember in the beginning of the year, I was kind of annoyed at the fact that [freshmen] always seemed to congregate at the front of the [main entrance],” Fiumano said. “But then I realized that they’re freshmen; they don’t know better.”

It is easy for the youngest group to be swept away in the sea of upperclassmen, but that doesn’t mean that freshmen do not observe the actions of those with more experience.

“I look up to [seniors] because they know what they’re doing,” freshman Sofia Ballam said. “I think that it’s important to follow them so they can help you out.”
Contrary to this, for the most part seniors are seen as friendly individuals who don’t intend to seem intimidating.

“The only seniors I know are really nice,” Ballam said. “There’s always going to be people who are mean, no matter what class they’re in, but I like to think of seniors as really cool people.”

The seniors have served their time in high school and will soon leave a lasting legacy for underclassmen to follow.

“[My advice for freshmen is to] work hard; by the time you get to senior year, you’re going to look back and realize that you made horrible, irreversible choices that colleges will see,” Fiumano said. “It’s definitely worth it to work hard.”