When freshmen enter the PLHS doors on their first day of high school, they are led directly to their own section of the school: the vibrant and spacious freshman wing. Yet when summer ends and school starts up again, the now sophomores are faced with the bustling academic wing.
Incoming sophomores navigating the halls of the academic wing for the first time can be quite a considerable change for students previously being in the freshman wing during their first year at PLHS.
“The biggest difference between freshman wing and the academic wing was that the freshman wing was open and bright and had a lot of natural lighting with the pods,” sophomore Elsie Ryan said. “The academic wing feels a lot more condensed and darker without the natural light.”
Although the academic wing is much larger than the freshman wing, it didn’t take long for Ryan to find all her classes and get settled in.
“It’s definitely different and it took a little to get used to,” Ryan said. “But it’s not too bad once I figured it out.”
Junior Lilly Pillay was able to experience the freshman wing the first year it was open to students.
“I liked the freshman wing my freshman year because I was able to get used to high school,” Pillay said. “I knew where all my classes were and it was easier to get around.”
For some sophomores it was harder to find their classes on the first few days of school, but Pillay was able to help send them in the right direction.
“Some of them definitely did not know where they were going,” Pillay said. “I had a few sophomores come up to me and ask where their classes were so I helped show them where to go.”
With the help of upperclassmen, sophomores can now maneuver the halls more smoothly. Sophomores taking electives are likely to have older students in their classes.
“I have a few electives with upperclassmen and it’s a really good opportunity to make new friends,” Ryan said. “It’s nice having friends who are upperclassmen.”
Whether it is asking for directions in the hall or creating friendships with older students in their classes, sophomores at PLHS are steadily getting more adjusted to the academic wing as the year progresses.
