By Aaron Garner

As a freshman, my experience at Hamden High has been overwhelming.  On the first day of school, everyone knew where their classes were – except for the freshman. They are the only ones who do not know anything about the school, and it is evident when they look at every room number in the hallway in an effort to find their classes.
Then, they are exposed to sports and clubs. Almost every sport had its tryout session last year, the logic of which I found odd, because it did not account for individuals who may have transferred or left for vacation early in the previous year.
When I came to Hamden High School, I wanted to play a sport, but found out that I could not, because each already had a tryout week, and had an entire team ready.
There are the clubs. When I listened to the announcements, I was overwhelmed by the many student organizations searching for members, because, as a freshman, I did not know what to expect from the first few days. When I learned about the many options, I felt compelled to make decisions quickly. Our school has over sixty clubs and teams!  It is very hard to come to a new school without a background knowledge of the manner in which it functions, and then be pressured to get involved in student life.
Freshman year will take some getting used to, but these just might turn out to be the best years of my life.