Fall 2010: these old hallways are once again occupied by thousands of students and staff members. Friends meet after months apart, some students try to get over the jet lag from their trips to tropical countries, and the flirting begins instantaneously.

It’s easy to figure out who belongs to which grade; sophomores walk in with a false sense of seniority, juniors wait anxiously for the crucial year ahead of them, and seniors breeze through with ultimate superiority. However, one group of students walk in with faces filled with confusion and nervousness.

The freshmen that walk in this year, just like everyone that came before them, go through the same question their predecessors did: What am I doing here and how do I act?

It is true that high school is the place to find yourself before you become an adult, but many freshmen roam the halls full of fear. That fear has now been dubbed the “Freshman Fear of Flying.”

Although every student that walks into this school has a distinctive set of skills, many freshmen are scared to break out and showcase their talents because of the fear of standing out or being judged as “that guy who sings” or “that girl who dances.”

Granted, not all freshmen are the same. Some are willing to prove to their peers that they have talent and aren’t afraid to use it. Most underclassmen, however, still lack the courage to run for an SGA position, try out for a sports team, participate in our One-Act plays, or sing and dance in Blast.

What a lot of freshmen don’t realize is that every student who roams these halls, whether he has more facial hair or stand 10 inches taller than them, was once a freshman and went through the same fear years ago. Every person who calls himself a sophomore or an upperclassman overcame that fear of flying, or excelling in school, and showed off their talents to the rest of the school.

Many freshmen who have the guts to try out a sports team will make the cut, and a few even make varsity. They immediately feel a sense of family and friendship that some of their peers lack. Only those who get over this fear can fully experience high school in their first year.

Towards spring it’s much harder to find differences in the grade levels. Other than the seniors, who are barely present, and the juniors, who have a weight lifted off of their shoulders, it seems as though the freshmen and sophomore classes have merged into one giant class of assimilation. The sophomores are used to the feeling, but the freshmen have just started to break out of their shells now that they know what goes on at school.

The cycle begins every year, with the same young souls wandering around without a purpose. If these freshmen do whatever they like, they’ll soon find out that nobody’s really judging them. So Class of 2014, when you’re hesitant about trying out for the play, just know that all of us were in your shoes at one point or the other. Feel free to join any club you want, hang out with any group of people, and be who you want to be. If you need help, ask any upperclassmen or teachers and they will be happy to help you find your place at CHS and fly.