Last year, sophomores were at “the bottom of the food chain.” But this year, that is not the case! Being a freshman in their first year of high school can be extremely difficult. It’s an enormous change from middle school. There is a lot more people in high school than there was in middle school. For example, last year, Leonardtown Middle School had only nine hundred and thirty three students enrolled while Leonardtown High School had one thousand, nine hundred and thirty two students enrolled. That is almost one thousand more students!

When Sophomore Shaun Delaney was asked how it feels to not be a freshman anymore, he responded, “It’s surreal not just being a sophomore, but being one fourth done with high school.” Being a sophomore is a sense of accomplishment because they are one more year closer to graduating from high school. When Lillian Turner was asked how she felt about no longer being a freshman, she responded, “It’s so much better, I don’t get nearly as confused or worried as I did when I was a freshman and knew nothing.”

Sophomores had to endure what freshmen are going through this year, last year. So who better to give advice to this year freshman than the sophomores? When Shaun Delaney and Lillian Turner were asked what advice they would give to freshman this year that they would have found helpful while they were freshman, they gave great, helpful advice. Shaun Delaney said, “Advice for the freshman would be to manage time, especially for student athletes.” This year, for sophomores, it is easier because they know how to manage their time more wisely. Sophomores now know that high school is no joke. To be able to succeed in high school, one has to keep up with work, especially if one does after school activities such as clubs or sports.

When Lillian Turner was asked what advice she would have found helpful as a freshman, she responded, “I would have liked to know that if you have to try really hard to be accepted by a group of people then they are not worth your time.” By sophomore year, most kids have found out who they fit in with, they have found their close knit group of friends. Freshman year is really about finding oneself and by sophomore year, most kids have a sense of how they feel about themselves and who they enjoy hanging out with. It is definitely a great feeling of not being the youngest in the school anymore, for sophomores.