Freshmen and Senior Siblings

 

For many freshmen, the transition into high school can be a stressful and confusing time. While they often seek guidance through the precedent of the senior class, seniors look at incoming freshmen as a yard stick to measure their progress in four years. Seniors now carry the responsibility to set the tone for the rest of the school and to be mentors for those younger. However, for some students this hits a little closer to home, literally. With the start of the new school year, Breezes decided to interview a few pairs of senior and freshmen siblings to see what it’s like to wander the halls amongst brethren.

 

Mikki and Mary Dick:

Q: What are you most looking forward to in high school that your sister has told you about? A: (Mary, 9th grade) “I’m really excited for the Homecoming game and dance. I was also super excited for the Tennis dance, but that’s not happening so that’ll be interesting! But, I guess my classes too. I’m taking AP Human Geo, which I’m really excited about and I have Coach Coffee (Coffey?), who’s also the cross country coach, and we both do cross country which is really fun.”

Q: How do you react when you see each other in the hallway? A: (Mary, 9th grade) “I usually pop a peace sign up to communicate. It’s nice!” (Mikki, 12th grade) “We say hi! Usually, Mary is really excited about it”

Q: How do you think you were similar or different as a freshman than you sister is now? A: (Mikki, 12th grade) “I also was really excited about everything to do with high school, but I think I was a little more intimidated by the senior class and upper classmen.”

Q: How does it make you feel that your little sister has an iPad and you don’t? Are you bitter? A: (Mikki, 12th grade) “Not really, I like using paper and text books and stuff so I guess I don’t really care.”

Q: Do you look up to your sister? If yes, how so? A: (Mary, 9th grade) “Yeah, I do. She’s taking a lot of AP classes and I want to do that when I’m an upper classman. And I know she took APUSH as a sophomore and she really liked it, so I look up to her because of that. She’s also a track captain so I look up to because of that as well. During cross country, they have seniors lead a lot and I really look up to all the seniors, but her especially.”

Q: How do you hope to be different by the time you’re your sister’s age? A: (Mary, 9th grade) “I kind of have to one up her in all the classes and stuff! We’ll see if I become an AP Scholar with honors just like she is. I’ll have to be Suma Cum Laude as well.”

Q: Describe each other in five words. A: (Mary, 9th grade) “loud, outgoing, friendly, obnoxious, and smart” (Mikki, 12th grade) “intelligent, cool spelled with a K, fun, a leader, and kind”

 

Catie and Hayley Cruikshank:

Q: What are you most looking forward to in high school that your sister has told you about? A: (Hayley, 9th grade) “Going to the football games”

Q: How do you react when you see each other in the hallway? A: (Hayley, 9th grade) “I usually just say hi because I never really see her in the hallways” (Catie, 12th grade) “I’m kind of surprised because I’m not used to it”

Q: How do you think you were similar or different as a freshman than you sister is now? A: (Catie, 12th grade) “I think I was similar because I came also came from private school and didn’t know that many people.”

Q: How does it make you feel that your little sister has an iPad and you don’t? Are you bitter? A: (Catie, 12th grade) “I don’t really care that much because I don’t think I would like having all that work on an iPad”

Q: Do you look up to your sister? If yes, how so? A: (Hayley, 9th grade) “Yes, because she gets really good grades”

Q: How do you hope to be different by the time you’re your sister’s age? A: (Hayley, 9th grade) “Probably to just always be really outgoing”

Q: Describe each other in five words. A: (Hayley, 9th grade) “short, shy, studious, athletic, and kind” (Catie, 12th grade) “athletic, hard-working, funny, organized, and fashionable”

 

Taylor and Blair(e) Hall:

Q: What are you most looking forward to in high school that your brother has told you about? A: (Blair, 9th grade) “Going to the football games”

Q: How do you react when you see each other in the hallway? A: (Blair, 9th grade) “I say hi” (Taylor, 12th grade) “I give her strange looks and shove her”

Q: How do you think you were similar or different as a freshman than you sister is now? A: (Taylor, 12th grade) “I was also pretty awkward as a freshman. I was very nervous being in the high school and not knowing a lot of people and having to make new friends. ”

Q: How does it make you feel that your little sister has an iPad and you don’t? Are you bitter? A: (Taylor, 12th grade) “I’d say it’s probably nice to have them because then you don’t have to carry around so many books, but I’m also not really caring about it because I learn better not from typing, but from writing.”

Q: Do you look up to your brother? If yes, how so? A: (Blair, 9th grade) “Yes, because he has friends and I don’t”

Q: How do you hope to be different by the time you’re your brother’s age? A: (Blair, 9th grade) “To be more involved in activities”

Q: Describe each other in five words. A: (Blair, 9th grade) “kind, studious, funny, hard-working, and athletic” (Taylor, 12th grade) “funny, studious, weird, sassy, and awkward”

 

Whitney and Ni(ck)y Peitz:

Q: What are you most looking forward to in high school that your sister has told you about? A: (Nicky, 9th grade) “Meeting new people”

Q: How do you react when you see each other in the hallway? A: (Nicky, 9th grade) “I usually just kind of wave” (Whitney, 12th grade) “I wave her down and freak her out, it’s really fun”

Q: How do you think you were similar or different as a freshman than you sister is now? A: (Whitney, 12th grade) “I came from a private school and didn’t know very many people so I had to make new friends”

Q: How does it make you feel that your little sister has an iPad and you don’t? Are you bitter? A: (Whitney, 12th grade) “I really could care less, I don’t think I’d use it at all”

Q: Do you look up to your sister? If yes, how so? A: (Nicky, 9th grade) “Yes, if there are thing I haven’t done before I’ll ask her about it or look up to her on what she does in high school”

Q: How do you hope to be different by the time you’re your sister’s age? A: (Nicky, 9th grade) “I hope to be not as shy around other people”

Q: Describe each other in five words. A: (Nicky, 9th grade) “interesting, shy, kind, creative, and loyal” (Whitney, 12th grade) “athletic, weird, funny, nice, and cute”

 

Michael and Maren(?) Beauchamp:

Q: What are you most looking forward to in high school that your brother has told you about? A: (Maren, 9th grade) “Going to the football games”

Q: How do you react when you see each other in the hallway? A: (Maren, 9th grade) “He says my name and I look away” (Michael, 12th grade) “I usually try to embarrass her as much as I can and start freaking out and maybe jumping up and down a little to get everyone to notice me”

Q: How do you think you were similar or different as a freshman than you sister is now? A: (Michael, 12th grade) “I was pretty awkward as a freshman. I didn’t go to many football games or really do anything, so I can understand to lack of wanting to go out and be social, but I try to push her to do it.”

Q: How does it make you feel that your little sister has an iPad and you don’t? Are you bitter? A: (Michael, 12th grade) “I’m pretty grateful, actually. I don’t really like staring at a screen for too long and I’d probably end up hacking onto Facebook or Twitter, so it’s probably a good thing.”

Q: Do you look up to your brother? If yes, how so? A: (Maren, 9th grade) “Yes, because he’s involved and he has good grades”

Q: How do you hope to be different by the time you’re your brother’s age? A: (Maren, 9th grade) “More involved and less awkward”

Q: Describe each other in five words. A: (Maren, 9th grade) “weird, energetic, hard-working, funny, and loud” (Michael, 12th grade) “try-hard, smart, athletic, awkward, and weird”