Whether it is adjusting to a new building, new people, or a new environment, moving to a bigger environment is a great change. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the freshmen at Metea have not yet experienced that transition since they have never had a regular first day of high school. After postponing building tours in November because of the substantial transmission levels, Fresh Connect leaders rescheduled the tour to ensure that freshmen are familiarized when in-person learning resumes. 

This week, Fresh Connect leaders organized 30-minute building tours to help freshmen familiarize themselves with the campus. There were multiple tours held throughout the week. Tours began by lunch period and last name on Monday. Throughout the tour, freshmen were introduced to new and old information about how a regular school day will look.

“A lot of the areas in the school look pretty similar, so it is kind of hard to navigate where you are in the building,” freshman Ava Hall said. “The teachers and upperclassmen are all pretty helpful in finding my way through.”

As the start date for hybrid learning comes closer, students are beginning to look forward to once again walking in those familiar, or for some, unfamiliar halls. 

“Everyone is really welcoming so I am not really nervous about coming back in,” Hall said. “It should be fun, and even though we have not been in a classroom in a long time, it should be interesting to see new faces.” 

Despite the changes, the class of 2024 was able to meet for their freshman orientation following COVID-19 safety guidelines. The tour helped freshmen meet with the rest of their class to begin their first year of high school. 

“Our situation is new to everybody and I feel like teachers are understanding,” Freshman Emelie Villagrana said. “We are both trying to learn from each other through these new experiences and we are trying to make it as easy as we can.”