Junior Girls Show Incoming Freshman the Ropes

Taking a step back from studying for finals and anticipating summer plans, the junior girls in Mrs. Steinberg’s davening group spent last week reflecting on the past year. As they recalled both the excitement and stress that junior year brought, many in the group stated that they felt like they just started freshman year yesterday. However, as they recognized the experience they gained over the past three years, the juniors decided it would be beneficial to share what they had learned with the incoming freshman girls. As Natalie W. ’15 stated, the girls felt that since, as senior buddies next year, they “were [going to be] the freshmen’s role models, [they] wanted to build a relationship from the get go” while simultaneously giving them the opportunity to ask all of their questions.

Meeting on two separate occasions, the eighth graders were given the opportunity to ask about academics, sports, and social matters, as well as ask any personal questions about the juniors’ experiences. Comments eighth grader Alison R., “We got to ask questions about the workload as a High Schooler and how to balance out our academic life with our social life,” as well as inquiring about the juniors’ best memories, offering the eighth graders the inside scoop on what High School entails. Commenting that “it felt like it was just us yesterday,” Sydney R. ’15, like the rest of the group, enjoyed answering questions because it brought back memories from their own Q & A session with the previous upcoming seniors. After a successful two davening periods, the junior girls all expressed their enthusiasm about getting their freshmen buddies and establishing even better relationships with them.

The eighth graders felt very positively about the experience as well. “We got to find out a lot about the life of a junior girl and it was nice to get to know them,” expresses Debbie I. ’18. Alison agrees. “They were all very welcoming and were all really nice. It was a great experience.”