This school year, Rio Norte Junior High welcomed past sixth graders from Tesoro, Mountain View, West Creek, and more to join Rio in becoming seventh graders. Although schools have been doing this for a long time, has anyone asked how the transition was from being a kid in elementary school to a student in middle school? Because these two are very different and do the most change in a teen more than anything. So, how was the experience of becoming a middle schooler?

When Rio students were asked about this experience in their lives most of them said middle school was scary at first but as time went on, it was very fun for them. Students also say that they are happy to have made new friends and loveable teachers. 7th grader Alani Hagen shares, “It was scary at first but now I’m fine and love Rio!” Another 7th grader named Eugene Cheung says, “It is definitely different from elementary school and there were a lot of changes, but overall it was a fun experience and enjoyable year.” One last 7th grader, Natalia Guerrero, explains, “It was very fun. I made new friends and met new teachers.”

Although a lot of new 7th graders enjoyed middle school, for others it was more difficult. 7th grader Jack Fuschillo shares, “I did not like it at all. For most of the year, I was made fun of and bullied in my old Advisory class, PE, science, band, etc. It has stopped for the most part, though. On top of all this, 6th grade was just as bad”. Rafael Ramos, another 7th grader, said, “It was ok, I struggled to keep my grades up”.

When asked which they liked better, middle school or elementary, 80% chose middle school and 20% chose elementary school. 80% said that they liked how middle school had different classes and teachers. They also liked the block schedule. Also how they made lots of friends that they love to hang out with. They mentioned how the middle 97% of school had more to do as well and didn’t feel like the same boring schedule every day. 20% percent said that they didn’t like middle school because people were nicer in elementary school. They also said there was less work, and wasn’t so stressful.

Even if some people didn’t really like middle school and some people loved it, we all had our own experiences. Some were good and bad, and some were okay, as seen here. Middle school is one of the many big changes in a teen’s life. So hopefully everyone will be impacted in a positive way, knowing that Rio Norte is trying its best to do.