The beginning of ninth grade year can be very intimidating. This year, the change is even more unnerving due to the extremely high population of over 500 freshmen.

One of the most daunting tasks is the new workload. Trying to keep up with homework may seem almost impossible.

For some that means that school is the number one priority, and to keep up, a social life must be omitted. For others, that means getting work done, but making sure to have your own free time.

Sophomore Mitchell Dixon, gave his advice on how he stays ahead of his homework.

“Lay out your night ahead of time, and make a schedule,” said Dixon. “Avoid toxic relationships and strive for greatness.”

“Don’t talk back to teachers,” said sophomore Jordan Gillespie. “Getting in trouble just isn’t worth it.”

Many people make the mistake of thinking that freshman year doesn’t count for anything, but it does.

Junior Kira Siepmann gave advice on things she wishes she had done differently when she was a freshman.

“Work hard in freshman year, because your GPA counts all four years,” said Siepmann. “A bad GPA one year will drag you down all four years.”

Keeping up with schoolwork is hard enough, but it’s even harder to maintain good grades while doing sports, clubs, and any other a er school activities. It’s very easy to push aside homework for later when there are so many appealing social gatherings.

“Try as hard as you can, but don’t not have a social life,” said junior Ruby Hammes.

Sophomore Sydney Kringel talks about how she deals with being on the volleyball team and keeping up her good grades.

“Do your homework before practice, and during any free time you have,” said Kringel. “The less homework you have when you gets home, the better.”

Dixon played three sports in his freshman year, but he had a good system to keep his GPA above a 4.0.

“If you have three hours of homework, don’t wait until it’s late to do it. Get home from practice, and start your work right away,” said Dixon.

Another aspect of entering a new school that can be difficult, is finding out where to fit in and who you want to spend your time with, especially when you are coming from a smaller middle school.

“Go to school events. Games, dances,” said Kringel. “It’s a good way to meet people when you’re new.”

The first weeks of freshman year are always a huge adjustment. Whether that’s an academic adjustment or a social adjustment, everyone at Rio has been in the same position and overcame the same obstacles that occur during the first couple weeks of freshman year.

High school will always be frightening in the beginning and nothing can fully prepare you for what to expect, but with helpful tips from seniors, life at high school should become that much easier.