Pro’s by Tyler Burleyson

Most of us don’t have great memories of Fresh Connect. Maybe you hated the name games or wanted your lunchtime back. Almost everyone claims they ditched most of it.

But consider this: did you know how GPA worked when you started freshman year? How about where the resource and testing centers were? I can remember being very confused my freshman year over how to tell which hallway had the D rooms and which had the H’s. A lot of this stuff seems obvious to us now — an A is a 4.0 except in weighted classes, and the D hallways are closer to the parking lot. Yeah, we learn most of this stuff as we go along, but Fresh Connect ensures that freshmen have a space where they can learn the basics.

What most people consider the worst parts still serve a purpose. Think back to your own experience: you probably bonded with your fresh connect group over the silly “get to know you games” whether you enjoyed them or not. The games are intermixed with meaningful activities and lessons so that students get to know each other and feel secure talking about their freshman experiences.

The program isn’t perfect. Even the leaders think the lessons about drama and gossip are a little out of place, and the moments of learning are obscured by long gaps between meetings and mandatory-fun games. However, despite all of our bad memories and grievances, Fresh Connect continues to serve an important purpose.

Con’s by Juthi Saha

Although Fresh Connect is made for the freshmen to introduce the school and the amazing opportunities it offers, it definitely has some flaws in the program.

Fresh connect was initially made to create an atmosphere where freshmen would feel comfortable in the school, learn the ropes of how the school runs, and learn what the Metea Life is all about.

When I was a freshman I felt out of place because I felt secluded from the other grades, and fresh connect contributed to that. As a freshman, students want to explore the possibilities of the different clubs at Metea, and what they had to offer for some of the amazing club memberships such as Business Professionals of America, and National Art Society.

During the meetings, it was a series of unnecessary games getting the fresh connect class to socialize. When it came time to the different extra-curricular activities that Metea offered, many were lost as the leaders not giving enough information on how to join different clubs.  Although the games helped us get to know each other for one semester, when Fresh Connect ended, I never talked to the peers in the fresh connect class, nor did they make an effort to talk to me.  

This program has provided upperclassmen leadership skills and a time to socialize with other upperclassmen, but the question of which fresh connect actually benefits the incoming students still remains.