As the 2024-2025 school year begins wrapping up, the 8th graders are preparing to leave Lively and begin their high school experience. This late in the year, nearly all testing is over, and the idea that high school starts in three months is finally settling in. But, the question is, how do our 8th graders feel about their last year at Lively? Let’s see.
When asked to describe their last year at Lively, the 8th graders’ responses generally fell between two categories, one being, “Honestly, it’s extremely bittersweet. I’ve met so many people, and made so many friends just this year. I’m not sure I’m ready to let go of everyone…Especially since I don’t know anyone going to my high school,” said 8th grader Minh Dao. And, the other answers following after, “The applications to high school were very stressful. Another thing is that there are a lot of end of year projects,” said 8th grader Lewis Campbell.
Another important thing to note that majorly influenced the year are classes and activities/events. Based on a survey, the most popular classes among the 8th graders were US History, specifically with Ms. P, ELAR, Athletics, and Theatre. Additionally, the most popular activities were field trips, no surprise there, and sports such as basketball and football.
Many 8th graders this year were also greatly involved in programs and are leaving a legacy, such as, “For NJHS, I want them to be able to do more with the program next year, and expand it, which I definitely think they’ll be able to do. And, for Model UN, even though I wasn’t involved for very long I feel like some of the 7th graders do look up to me and I hope that I’ve helped them in some way,” said 8th grader Isaac Rutan. Other 8th graders, though they may not be leaving behind a legacy, are validly leaving behind feelings to start off fresh for high school, for example, “I’d like to leave behind the 6th and 7th grade confidence I had because it was really low and I had really low self esteem. I’ve grown this year and I’ve tried to leave it behind, but I’d like to fully let it perish going into high school,” said 8th grader Cameron Sanchez.
Lastly, when asked what students will most remember and miss about Lively, the majority of answers were similar to this one, “The people. I really love the community here, most people and especially the teachers, they’re really supportive and nobody wants you to fail their class. I feel like in high school it might be harder to form connections with teachers in the same way I did here at Lively, so I’m gonna miss that,” said 8th grader Zella Prior.
Overall, the last year of middle school for our 8th graders was impactful, whether it was by learning something new about themselves, growing as a person, or creating long-lasting memories.