Freshmen – AHS NEWSPAPER

First Year Mentor Program Aims to Cultivate Community

October 7, 2024

By Samantha Sun
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Health teacher Holly Breen and Assistant Principal Alicia Linsey devised the program as a way to smooth the transition into the AHS community. Each advisory has two or three mentors who visit once every six to eight weeks to help out ninth grade students throughout their entire freshmen year. The mentors include sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The pairs are in different grades to resolve conflict with any grade specific activities done in their advisories, such as class meetings.

”It is a school priority to continue to cultivate a community that fosters a culture of belonging and collaboration,” Linsey said. Breen added that she feels responsible to support relationships between students. “I want [freshmen] to feel that this is home for them and… welcomed,” she explained.

Not every freshman has siblings or friends who already attend AHS, Linsey noted. These are the kids the program intends to reach, in order to provide an upperclassmen support system to incoming students. Mentors and freshmen first meet during freshmen orientation so that they are familiar with each other throughout the entire school year.

COURTESY PHOTO / Alicia Linsey
Alan Hibino and Allison Peters’ freshmen advisory class poses for a photo.

“I think [it gives] perspective for some of the mentors,” said Linsey. “You forget what it’s like to be a ninth grader [and how] it’s really big when you get to high school.”

“I really like being a role model for others,” Lana Huynh, a junior and mentor, said. “The freshmen were very unsure and scared of what to do next, so [mentoring is] like being there as their older sibling in the school and [helping] them with things I’ve already experienced.”

Junior Daphne Hatzigiannis has also enjoyed her experience being a mentor. “It’s a relatively simple job,” she said. “So far, the most memorable part has been the initial tour we gave our group, [and] it honestly got me pretty excited for school to start.”

“When I was a freshman I thought that upperclassmen were helpful when figuring things out,” Huynh said. “It made my transition a lot easier.”

The leadership training, called Student Empowered Leadership (SEL), was designed by a group called Ignite Nation and funded by the Andover Coalition for Education. Ignite Nation collaborates with schools to help students feel connected and inspire students to lead and mentor their peers. There was a one day training session in January 2024 and a two day training session in June 2024, after the school year ended, to help prepare mentors for the following year.

The mentors learned how to facilitate conversations, how to be a great leader, how to act with integrity, and how to help with the transition process, Breen said. They also did trust-building exercises, skits, and fun games, such as a rock paper scissors tournament.

“It’s important [to] have this be a community to people, and the first step in that is building relationships,” said Breen. The First Year Mentor Program has been getting a lot of positive feedback from freshmen, mentors, and advisors. ”[The program] has really helped build connections across the AHS community,” Linsey concluded.

Articles Community Education

Freshmen’s First Finals: Thoughts & Advice

May 31, 2023

By Samantha Sun
STAFF WRITER

Finals, the dreaded tests taken during the last week of school, are especially stressful for the freshmen, who will be taking them for the first time.

The thoughts on finals are varied, with some students feeling more pressured while others are more relaxed.

“I’m very worried, it’s the first actual final and I know it’s going to require a lot of studying,” said freshman Lana Huynh. “It’s a new thing and it’s pretty scary.”

“I’m nervous, but I also feel as though it could be a good opportunity to bring up my grades in some of my classes,” said Milena Tiernan, a freshman. “I’m most[ly] worried about physical science because I feel [that] there’s a lot of concepts and formulas to remember.”

“Finals are a bit goofy,” commented freshman Pranav Yadla. “[I’m] not really [worried], I think kids shouldn’t stress out about finals.”

Collectively, freshmen have similar study methods. “I’ll just review old worksheets, or go through notes that I’ve taken, or just look through the textbook,” Tiernan said.

Yadla added he would “go over all the information learned so far, and [he was] just going to try [to do as best he could].”

“Math is definitely the one I’m going to focus on the most,” Huynh said. “I’m probably going to go over my notes, the notes from my teachers, and go over my tests and quizzes since those are crucial parts you need to know about a lesson.”

STAFF PHOTO / Saarvi Deshwal
Freshman Arjun Nair takes advantage of the AHS library’s quiet atmosphere to prepare for his upcoming final exams.

Senior Amanda Kim shared her advice for the freshmen. “Don’t wait until the last minute to study,” she said. “It’s important to give yourself enough time to study for each subject, so prioritize the exams that you have earlier in the week.” In order to avoid burning out, she advised freshmen to pace their studying and not to cram.

“Don’t panic. It’s not new stuff, it’s old stuff,” said Micheal Wall, a science teacher. “You’ve already been tested on it, and [you only need to] show you know it for a second time.” Wall noted that every course is different and that time spent studying would be different for each class.

“[Due to] COVID I wasn’t able to experience ‘finals’ until my junior year,” said Alan Dowty, a senior at AHS, “I did, however, go through the midterms process, and it is safe to say that there isn’t much of a difference between the two.” He advised freshmen to not slack off because it would become more difficult to raise their GPA in the future to get into a good college.

“Practice writing out those materials, vocab, essays so you know it,” Wall advised, sharing a studying technique that works well for himself. He recommended students begin studying with the material from the beginning of the course and to work their way through the curriculum.

“Utilize the H-blocks in the weeks leading up to exam week [and] stay after school to ask teachers questions,” Kim added. She also recommended students review their past tests, quizzes, and worksheets.

“One studying method I like to use is called a 15-5 technique,” Dowty shared. “Set a timer for 15 minutes while you study for a certain subject then [have] a 5-minute break, whether it be scrolling through TikTok or listening to music.”

Collaboration with other students is also a great way to study. “Study with a group of students in your class to help each other out!” Kim encouraged.

“[I plan to] study with my friends who are in the same class, [and] we can quiz each other,” Tiernan said in addition.

Despite the upcoming exams, students should still “enjoy their life and balance their work and social life,” Yadla said. Kim offered a similar statement: “Although it is a stressful time, try to remember that it is more important that you understand the material instead of just trying to recite it back and that summer is right on the other side of it!”

Community

Freshmen Encouraged to Order Class T-Shirts

November 30, 2022

Samantha Sun and Saarvi Deshwal
STAFF WRITERS

This year’s freshman t-shirts are being sold until December 5. This tradition is continuing thanks to the Freshman Board and Tess Moglia, the designer.

Every year, the Freshman Board hosts a competition allowing freshman students to design a t-shirt that they will hold onto for the years to come. Usually worn by students at pep rallies and Spirit Week, these freshman t-shirts have been popular among the students. The t-shirts are $12 each. The board is encouraging every freshman to buy one to promote school spirit. The last day to purchase a shirt is December 5, so get one now while they are available.

Ten submissions came in, but not until after the initial deadline. “There were two that were close,” according to Krista Paminger, the board’s adviser. “So, we ran a second round of voting. [After] the second round of voting, there was a clear winner.” The freshman class voted on the design through a google form that was sent out by email. This year’s winning design was created by Tess Moglia, a member of the Freshman Board. “We didn’t get any submissions before the deadline, which was really stressful,” said Moglia. “I just knew I could use Canva [to make a design].” The winning design is simple and appealing, using Andover High School’s colors, navy blue and gold. A 2026 is in the center, surrounded by the words “Andover High School.” She had submitted a couple designs for others to vote on in case there weren’t any other submissions, but luckily, a few others submitted following the nearing deadline. The designs were then voted on by the freshman class in a google form that was sent out.

Although there were very few design entries, Moglia was a lot happier than she thought she’d be when she found out her design won. “I didn’t think I would care, but I do like my design and I think it’ll be cool, seeing it on everyone’s t-shirts,” Moglia shared.

Paminger helped with organizing this year’s t-shirts. To inform the Class of 2026 about the contest and allow them to send in designs, the board “advertised through announcements, an email went out to the freshman class, and it also appeared on the class Instagram,” Paminger said. It’s a tradition done every year by the freshman class.

In previous years, the t-shirts were usually handed out during orientation, where students would fill out an order to receive their shirts when school started. “When they used to take the orders as part of freshman orientation, almost every student ordered one,” said Paminger. “Those who didn’t would still come at the beginning of the year and want to order one.” Even though the shirts aren’t being ordered at the beginning of the year anymore, the board hopes they will be just as popular.
Attachments: Freshman T-Shirt Design Order “Form” https://www.canva.com/design/DAFQ_t9G4Jg/ecBdICYHlU8yzu_IGDqhBQ/view?utm_content=DAFQ_t9G4Jg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton