Making fun of freshmen almost seems like a tradition. Every single year, the freshman class seems more “annoying” than classes previously, but this is not always the case. Most freshmen and seniors agree that the stereotypes around the freshman class are not entirely accurate and do not apply to all. The same students would also agree that seniors play a role in this problem as well as the ninth-graders roaming the halls.

Most freshmen don’t even feel like there is an unfair bias against them. “It is just honest teasing, and is usually done by friends,” says East freshman Alayna Majkrzak. “I do think that freshmen are a lot less mature than the upperclassmen, however. We are louder.” There is an age gap between freshmen and seniors, and those four years really do make a difference, even if it’s just a matter of adjustment to the environment.

High school is a lot different than middle school; more responsibilities come with it. Freshman year is normally the year to get used to the changes. “As long as it’s not bullying and it doesn’t go too far, I don’t really mind,” says West freshman Raegan DuHamel. “I feel that the line is drawn when someone gets hurt either physically or mentally … It’s not necessarily being a freshman that’s bad, it’s our freshman class.”

“Freshmen scream for no reason, and they’ll start yelling words that make no sense,” says West senior Olivia Greenwald. “Sometimes freshmen will walk either down the wrong side of the hallway or walk really slow, and sometimes they’ll just stop in a doorway or in the middle of the hall … [If I could give freshmen advice it would be] to grow up and mature a little bit and grow out of their baby habits.”

MCHS does its best to expose freshmen to the other classes and upperclassmen to make them feel less inferior, such as mixed gym and lunch periods, as well as LINK at East and the senior program at West. Freshmen are also allowed to join many clubs such as StuCo and Key Club.

Most students would agree not all freshmen are bad and that a select few can make an entire class look bad. “There are a lot of [freshmen] that are just stupid and get the entire class in trouble for no other reason except for that they think it’s funny,” says West freshman James Marler. “They just do horrible things, but there are a lot of people in this is grade who want to actually succeed at school, and they’re really just getting [a bad reputation] because of those few people.”

Although many seniors view freshmen as annoying and loud, that does not mean there are seniors who are also viewed that way. “We were annoying as freshmen, as well,” West senior Dylan Banker says, “A lot of us seniors are obnoxious and goof around a lot…they feel like they’re better [than freshmen] because they’re older.”

The stigma around the freshmen class will probably not end any time soon, but a couple of ill-behaved students do not define the entire class of 2023 or any class for that matter. Some freshmen may need some guidance to steer them on the right path. Just like every year, many upperclassmen will help guide these few fresh individuals on the right path.