The senior stigma has been around for generations. Everyone's walked into their first day of freshman year, afraid to get swirled, weggied, shoved in a locker… the list goes on. Going into freshman year, not many underclassmen know seniors, which can cause fear when interacting with some seniors, adding to the cultural hierarchy that weaves its way throughout high school.
“They were way bigger than me, and kind of scary,” freshman Sawyer Brummond said. “I was nervous around some seniors because I wasn’t close with them, I wasn't friends with them.”
Although some freshmen have nerves when interacting with seniors or other upperclassmen, students have noticed over the years that the stigma has gone down. Underclassmen have adapted to the high school norm faster, along with becoming more comfortable meshing with upperclassmen due to experiences like varsity-level sports and certain classes.
“The freshmen nowadays adjust a lot faster going from middle school to high school,” senior Brooklyn Angel said. “I think most freshmen coming in recently have been really athletic, so they're on teams with upperclassmen.
Even though for building relationships between upper and underclassmen, some students have expressed fear and self-doubt with the initial thought of competing against upperclassmen.
“I was especially intimidated by upperclassmen for sports because they were so much taller, faster, stronger, and just all-around better athletes, so I wanted to be as good as them,” junior Iris Rouech said.
Regardless of differences in graduation years, most students at CHS will eventually experience their senior year. Upperclassmen only ask for patience and understanding from younger students.
“We're not scary, and freshmen will be seniors soon. So they'll be in our shoes soon, and they just have to understand that if we act any differently than them, they'll understand later on,” Angel said.
A common misconception with seniors or other upperclassmen is the stereotypes created around them, for example ‘all seniors are mean and scary’. Stereotypes often prevent people from wanting to build a relationship with someone, just based on what they’ve heard.
“A lot of stereotypes I hear about seniors are that they can be mean and scary, but every time you get to know them, they're always super nice,” Rouech said.
Major advice given to underclassmen beginning their time at CHS is to be willing to form new friendships—no matter the age gap—and to just be your best self.
“My advice for incoming freshmen would be to be yourself. Upperclassmen can seem scary and grown, but they are always willing to help and make sure you have a great high school experience,” Rouech said.
