By Avery Streeter

Leaving 8th grade and going on to highschool brings excitement, and if I’m being honest, challenges as well. Wrapping and bottling up years or even just months of memories has got to be hard, no matter how long you’ve been here. I interviewed three eighth graders who all gave me a better understanding of what my peers think about heading off to start a new chapter in their lives. All three of these eighth graders; Maddie, Elizabeth, and James, will be going down different paths, so with that being said, you as the reader are going to be given multiple different perspectives. 

I started off these interviews with a simple question about what they specifically are looking forward to the most. I got similar answers from Elizabeth and Maddie as they both are excited to branch out and widen their social circle. I mean, I definitely would have to agree as high school is a time to make new friends and create lasting friendships you’ll cherish forever. On the other hand, James replied with “I am most excited for playing football at the highschool level.” Understandable since high school sports offer a level of competition and high school representation that sometimes comp sports don’t. 

Next question spiked a bit of interest and relatability as I asked how balancing sports, academic workload, and social activities was gonna go from their perspective. Again, Maddie and Elizabeth tended to agree as their responses were similar with Elizabeth stating, “Yes, but personally, I have been trying to balance academics with sports my whole time at Holy Spirit and will try and continue that in high school,” and Maddie replying with  “At first but I’ll get used to it after a couple weeks.” Whereas James said he will have no problem at all since he already balances these things currently, and the added work will be no problem. I personally side with Maddie and Elizabeth since the added workload and extra practices might stress me out at first, but I’m sure I’ll regain my footing after a couple weeks. 

Question three brought three different answers; “Are you thinking about trying out any new clubs, sports, or hobbies freshman year? If so, which ones. If not, what would you plan on doing?” Answers definitely varied as it is an opinion rooted question and this is where peoples perspectives tend to kick in. Maddie answered with, “I am gonna try out for soccer and possibly try out lacrosse.” Elizabeth also wants to try new things and replied with, “I am definitely going to try out new clubs, which brings me back to branching out and trying new things. Some clubs that I might want to join could be a home economics club or choir since I have done that since third grade. I would also love to make the volleyball team not only to play, but to meet new people as well.” And finally James said,  “Yes, I am doing Civitas at Rio which is a political and social studies program.” All these answers gave me a helpful insight to what my interviewees are most interested in come high school. 

My fourth question definitely brought some thinking, as I asked what they thought will be their biggest adjustment/challenge they will face in high school. Mixed and somewhat similar answers followed my previous question, with homework and the sheer amount of work being the answer for everyone, as well as the drop down the social ladder as incoming freshmen. 

Last but certainly not least comes my final question. To wrap up this interview I concluded by asking “How do you plan to stay motivated and focused if things get tough academically or socially?” I got a comparable answer from Maddie as she stated, “By remembering I still have four more years left and that I’ll get through it and it will be okay.” Elizabeth responded with a great answer and said, “I would say turn to friends, family, and God to help you find your motivation when things are getting tough in high school” Definitely similar to what I would say as well. On the contrary, with an answer straight out of left field James says, “I don’t think it will get tough or I’ll just power through it.” James’ answer might not be what everyones thinking but hey, I said I would offer multiple perspectives. 

To sum it up, leaving eighth grade is going to bring on so many new memories and new things to try, as previously stated by my peers. I am so beyond excited for high school and what it has to offer, and I hope I was able to give you some insight into what your fellow classmates are thinking, because this might be you next year.