New freshman start the next part of their teenagehood
As the school year starts, so do the new group of freshmen. The class of 2029 have just finished middle school and are off to the world of high school. They’re getting ready for the next four years of their life preparing them for college, future jobs or any other aspirations they might have during there time at VHS.
Jessi Thomas ‘26 said, “It’s definitely not what I expected, not that I thought it would be better I guess. I don’t know, the freshmen definitely get looked at like little kids though.”
The freshmen class was welcomed by the freshmen orientation, which took place on Aug. 4 in Tuttle Gym. The dance, hip-hop and cheer teams performed for them. They were then given there schedules and were given a tour by students. This allowed the freshmen to get familiar with the school before the first day of school.
Tiffany Ortega ‘26 said, “I’ve liked Ventura High School a lot so far.”
The students came from different middle schools, and landed in the district ranges of VHS or did school of choice. The changes from a middle school to a high school are different, as the high school is bigger than the middle school. Going from a small campus to a big one can get the freshmen class a bit lost within the first couple of weeks.
Ortega said, “I came from Atlas which is a K through eighth [grade]. And there is a lot more freedom especially with phones and them being much less strict.”
A group of freshmen in ASSETS during their sixth period gap. Photo by: Isabel Andrade
With a bigger campus there are more opportunities and ways to participate, whether that be in sports, art, clubs or just a new group of people to become friends with. Dance and Hip-Hop have already established their teams, and so have many other sports, giving freshmen the chances to try out and be a part of the team’s.
With the new class it is also the last year for most, the class of 2026 is saying their last goodbyes to the school. But not that long ago it was there freshman year, where they were just as overwhelmed and nervous for the next four years. So this is some advice to the freshmen class of 2029.
Brenda Castillo ‘26 said, “Advice that I would give to the freshmen class would be do your work on time. A lot of people think that just because there is a soft deadline they can put it off but it will start to accumulate and it will be hard to do it on time. So do your work on time, don’t procrastinate and be a leader.”
