Asking a student about freshmen transition, regardless of their age, is likely to generate a groan. The program intended to help freshmen ease into high school is often described as “ineffective” or a “waste of time.” Perhaps these complaints are the reason why transition is being reduced to just one semester.

While transition complaints aren’t abnormal, students acknowledge the beneficial aspects of it. With all of the technological changes VHHS is undergoing, the program has been modified to meet these standards.

“We’ve learned how to print and how to work the VHHS website,” said Zoe Pelech (9).

Beth Brilowski, a transition teacher, identifies how changes in technology has impacted the program. In recent years, the middle schools have addressed more areas of technology that they hadn’t in the past.

“We’ve removed some of the lessons, like keyboarding and how to use Google Drive,” said Brilowski. “As far as student’s knowledge in regards to Google Drive when they come in, we’ve seen a big increase. We still cover the email portion because the middle schools do not use it.”

VHHS’s new chromebook program has also significantly impacted the transition curriculum.

“Having the chromebooks this year was a new lesson,” said Brilowski. “We had to discuss how to take care of chromebooks and what’s expected in school with it being charged.”

The content of the program’s curriculum has been subject to debate.

“We spent a few weeks learning how to use animoto, or the typing activities. I would have rather done my homework than wasting my time, or what I thought was a waste of my time,” said Abhay Ram (11).

Ram is not alone on his beliefs. Mrs. Brilowski cites a catalyst to the change to the program is student feedback.

“Each year, we’ve surveyed freshmen for their opinions on the program,” said Brilowski. ¨We take it to heart  to implement it into new lessons. Now, we do a volunteer project for St. Lurie’s, teach them how to multi-task, etc.”

With using feedback, transition teachers shortened the program to one semester. This eliminates the time fillers that so many were upset with.

“Being forced to check our grades during class was a waste of time when most students did it by themselves anyways,” said Nikki Medanovic (10).

Now, the program tries to focus on the essential information. For first semester, the biggest change is to the content, not the amount of meetings freshmen attend.

For second semester, the largest change includes the reduced number of classes. This is intended open up time to the freshmen.  Their meetings will be reduced to one Friday per month.

“It’ll give them some freedom now that they know all of this information to hopefully then apply it. Go see the math tutor, go to the write place, go and do research in the library,” said Brilowski.

While upperclassmen are upset that the program wasn’t changed for them, they recognize the benefits in the changes for all current freshmen and future students.  The continuation of the program will help ease freshmen into VHHS, but its reduction will compel them to apply what they’ve learned.