RUMFORD — The beginning of any school year is full of excitement and anxiety for students and staff. For students entering a building for their first year, the excitement and anxiety is heightened. Fortunately, the freshmen at Mountain Valley High School have survived and thrived during their first few weeks.

Overall, they report positive experiences and fears that did not come true. Many have used sports to become acclimated quickly to their new situation.

Brooke Sweetser said, “Cheerleading has been my best experience so far at Mountain Valley High School. It gave me a chance to bond with upperclassmen and something to occupy my time after school.”

Lexy Duguay agreed, but her sport is field hockey.

“I like the football program better here than I did at the Middle School,” said Ryley Flynn.

Some students are impressed with expanded academic opportunities.

Alanna McGinty said, “My best experiences so far at MVHS is my creative writing class. The class is already fun and I look forward to it every A-day.”

Logan Child listed band as his best experience thus far. He said, “My second best has been learning a new language (Spanish).”

“My best experience would have to be the new classes, teachers and seeing my friends again,” said Claudia Gallant. “This school has so much to offer the students. I didn’t take study hall this year because there’s just so much to do here.”

Even though it’s new to the freshman, some students like block scheduling where they have each class every other day. They are becoming accustomed to the “A-day” and “B-day” schedule.

“I like that we have two days to do our homework,” Valerie DeRoehn said.

While their experiences have been positive, it is their friends that keep them coming back day-after-day.

John Gallant said, “I look forward to seeing all my friends. They always make me laugh and have a good time, even when I am having a bad day.”

Haley Cole likes lunch so she can connect with friends. “I get to see my friends that are in higher grades and the friends in my grade,” she said.

Strange as it may seem, some students look forward to favorite classes. For Alexander Ridley, it’s biology.

Both friends and classes draw Emily McArthur to MVHS. “Each day I look forward to coming to school to see my friends because they are awesome! Also I look forward to my favorite classes like Spanish and Intro to Guitar.”

Many freshmen learned during the first weeks that their fears were unfounded.

Karissa Bickford said, “I feared that I was going to get lost a lot but I actually found my way around and the upperclassmen that have been here for a while helped me around.”

“I thought that the upperclassmen would be really mean and brutal,” said MacKenzie Irish. “Most of the upperclassmen are really nice and supportive, actually.”

Kylie Glover was thankful her fear didn’t materialize. “My friend said he was going to put me in a trash can … thank gosh it didn’t happen.”

Asked how they would describe MVHS to a stranger, many freshmen thought about safety and opportunities.

Lesa Smart said, “MVHS is a safe place to learn and meet new people. Making friends with students and teachers is a good experience.”

Kayla Lauzier added, “There’s a lot of freedom.”

While the MVHS freshmen will face challenges throughout their first year, they are adapting to new situations and are off to a great start.