About the Class of 2025

The freshman class of 2025 began their adjustment to high school life 3 weeks late as a result of the Monument Fire. This wasn’t the only hardship this class has faced. In 2020, when the pandemic was thought to be a 2 week waiting period, the 7th-grade class (as well as the rest of the world) had no real clue what was to come.

The rest of their junior high career was spent at home learning via online courses or a hybrid class schedule. Near the end of their 8th grade year, all classmates shared a class with one another again, only excluding 2-3 students. “I was definitely happy to be back in the classroom,” Jade Buell said, “Especially because online class was difficult for me. And even after being away from each other for so long, it felt like quarantine never happened. It wasn’t awkward at all.” After their 8th grade trip, graduation, summer fun, and an unexpected wildfire, these students were on their way to officially start their high school experience.

We, the media arts class, decided to interview the new arrivals of Hayfork High. “It’s an important feature because they have such a different educational experience since their junior high years weren’t up to par due to Covid-19,” Alyssa DeMoe, Managing Editor and Yearbook Vice President, said, “They have full access to the campus as well as fewer limitations on the overall dealings of being a highschooler, which is a significant change that will hopefully impact them in a positive way. We want to showcase their thoughts and feelings after they’ve experienced such a drastic change. We want to show that their voices matter and that they are welcomed at Hayfork High.” There were a total of 6 questions asked per student. Answers between peers were drastically different showcasing their own individual thoughts and goals for the future.

“It’s not as hard as I thought it would be but it’s still a challenge,” Hadrian Burton answered when asked how he felt about high school so far. Similar answers were given from multiple of his classmates, some students adding that they feel overworked, or find that it’s complicated. Arizona Shanahan added, “It’s less than what I expected. Work isn’t as hard as I thought it would be and people don’t seem grown up either.”

Grades are important to this class—that’s what we got from the second question: what are you hoping to achieve by the end of the year? Plenty of students answered the question by saying they hope they have good enough grades for their future transcripts. “I just want to make it through my first year and make it to the next,” A jumble of other students said. Answers to this question weren’t diverse, switching between the two.

Coming into a new school and considering their values is another important question to consider. “I value the computer science class. It’s one of my best classes,” Buddy Miller answered. Shanahan said “I value our art class,” along with a few other students, “It’s an outlet for my creativity and a way to express myself.” Shared responses included the values in friendships, courses, and sports. Katie Foster jokingly added, “I value the final ringing of bells. It signals the end of the school day.”

Once a student reaches high school, they are expected to have an idea of what they want their future to look like, what they want to be and what they want to learn. “I haven’t decided yet,” was a popular answer and it’s understandable on their part since they still have a year or two to really figure themselves out. Students that did have an idea of what they’d like to do and responded with: hoping to attend culinary school, wanting to join the air force, study psychology, hoping to go into programming, etc.

Hayfork High values students' education and social life on campus which brought the media arts class to wonder what this year's newest students believe would improve their education and willingness to learn. “I wish we had an actual language teacher rather than being taught by Edgenuity, an online learning device,” Arizona Shanahan brought up while another mentioned that they found Edgenuity to be a struggle. Others expressed their desires for more clubs to be introduced on campus but understood that this is part of the realities of being in a small school.

Come Summer, these freshmen will become sophomores making room for future freshmen. After their initial impression and experiences starting high school, we asked if the class of 2025 had any advice for the class of 2026. “Just try out as much as you can and be open to new opportunities. Don’t say you hate it until after you try it,” Mercedes Thao advised. “Sleep is important, make sure you have proper rest,” Burton stated, with plenty to agree. However, Jade Buell, along with others, believed the best advice to give was, “Keep track of your grades and keep up on your attendance,” while Miller said, “Practice good time management.”

We, the media arts class, thank the class of 2025 for being cooperative with us and allowing us to take a bit of their time for these questions. They are a hopeful bunch with goals and great promise for the future. We can not wait to see how they turn out.