"It's
about reaching the next level of maturity; it's a whole different ball
game now," said Rory Palmer, who sat on the stone ledge by the high
school entrance during the freshman barbecue last Wednesday. "It's time
to buckle down on studies. I'm looking forward to meeting new
teachers."

Palmer's favorite subject is math but he wants to
learn more about biology. Next to Palmer sat two friends of his from
the East Somerville Community School, Samuel Fischer and Brian
Martinez. Fischer and Palmer are glad that they have a few classes
together, though they are looking forward to meeting new friends.

Martinez admitted he is a little nervous about the more intense level of school work and pressure that high school will bring.

"I plan to have lots of folders to organize," he said.

Meanwhile
John Lubin was a bit more confident and ran over to say that he is
going to get such good grades that he will earn a scholarship to Yale
University.

Priscilla Soares stood among a gaggle of her
friends, giggling and eagerly looking around them at the throngs of
students gathered for the barbecue. "To me, high school means getting
lost," she laughed.

As if on cue, the students were ordered to
file into the high school main hallway to organize into groups. High
school teachers gave the tours of the four-story high school. United
States history teacher Ryan Guilmartin led a group of students through
the halls, pointing out the guidance counselor's office and other
important venues.

"I'm looking forward to having choices in
class and being able to choose them rather than having them assigned to
you," Kelsey Malloa said, as she trudged up the third flight of stairs.
"I want to take lots of languages."

Sophomores Zhanea
Nicholson, Caitlin Delaney, and Rachel Cooper joined the tour to help
out and be a part of the back-to-school excitement. Nicholson remembers
being terrified the first day of school, but then after a few days, she
felt as if she had always been there.

"You go from being the
oldest to the youngest in school, and there's a lot you don't know
about," Delaney said. "The school is so big, you get afraid of being
lost. But then you get used to it and it's as if you had always been
there."

For Ruth Dolan-Palmer, attending the barbecue made her
feel excited for Rory, her first child entering high school. It was
nice to meet his teachers and she likes that he has a wide variety of
classes to choose from. So far, she likes what she sees.