Imagine: It’s the first day of school and students are rustling around the hall, congregating and renewing paused friendships. They are lost, blank faces symbolizing the fear and confusion of being the fresh meat of the school. That was the feeling on the first day of school for the freshman. The first day turned into the first week, and so on. The transition from middle school and the immersion into a new environment in full force.

“I think that [the environment] has been welcoming. The teachers gave us enough time to adjust to the classes and the schedule,” said freshman Andrew Gonzalez.

The school promotes a challenging curriculum based on college preparation and AP requirements. It’s safe to say, coming here provides a challenge like no other – especially when the previous middle school wasn’t as rigorous, often leaving freshman at a disadvantage in physics, geometry, and English.

“It’s really hard. At my old school we didn’t have a lot of homework. English is definitely my hardest class because there’s a lot of homework and I get tired easily,” said freshman Divine Visbal.

These first months have presented the challenge of transitioning from middle school to high school. However, the freshman class still has a long way to go and some students like Faith Morrison are finding ways to stay on top of the curriculum.

“If I could define Harding in one word–academic or serious. I just stay focused and try to stay up as long as possible to get stuff done,” Morrison said.