The art hallway at East Campus is currently decorated with murals painted by students across decades — a beloved tradition that has helped shape the identity of the campus.
The Freshman Campus
May 20, 2021
Incoming freshmen next year from MCHS’s feeder schools will be the first graduating class to start entirely at what will soon be known as the Freshman Campus. After spending their first year of high school at East, the will move to West, the Upper Campus, for sophomore, junior, and senior year.
Under this new structure, students will change schools after their freshman year, and some worry that so many transitions might be confusing.
“Freshman have to learn East Campus and, once they are comfortable and know where everything is, they will have to move onto the West Campus and relearn a whole other school that is now bigger with the new addition,” described Grace Hosford, a current freshman at West Campus.
Since all the freshmen will be alone together at East, many students are seeing it as an opportunity to discover themselves and support each other.
“I think it will give us a great opportunity to discover ourselves and what we are like being surrounded by people the same age,” explained Jia Shah, an eighth grader and incoming freshman. “We won’t feel judged or out of place. In the Freshman Campus, all of us are on the same page and we all are just trying to figure ourselves out, so it’s nice to know that all of us are going through the same thing.”
With middle schools merging into high school, students often don’t know each other due to being at different schools. “I think the merge could give the freshman an opportunity to learn their whole class,” described Hosford. “Students having the opportunity to get to know each other, they can make new friends and meet other people. “
The step from eighth grade to high school can be a difficult for some students. The new campus structure hopes to make this transition easier.
“Having a Freshman Campus will be nice to set our roots down in a high school environment and slowly ease our way into high school,” explained Grace Hunt, an incoming freshman,” explained Grace Hunt, an eighth grader and incoming freshman. “I hope to feel extra prepared for the Upper Campus by the end of the year.”
Students often look to upperclassmen for guidance and leadership, however without upperclassmen freshman might not have that opportunity. “I will miss being able to socialize with students in upper grades,” explained Hunt.
This could be a disadvantage for freshmen without having upperclassmen to look up to. This may lead to them later in their high school career feeling disconnected from a normal high school career — or make the transition to the upper campus more intimidating.