In January 2025, at St. Mary’s International School, 8th graders attended a presentation about the transition to high school. Across the cafeteria, students expressed their uncertainty. The presentation started, heart pounding, palms sweaty –a new chapter of a student’s life was introduced. The crowd of students walked into the cafeteria, where a projector awaited them. Once the students sat down, there was a gloomy silence. Around the room, students gazed with worrying faces, some wiped their sweaty palms, others bit their nails. As the end of the school year nears, millions of 8th graders face the climb into high school, where a new life awaits them. In a recent survey, nearly 90% of 8th graders viewed the transition to high school with stress and anxiety. This striking statistic was evident during the transition presentation at St. Mary’s earlier in the year. Even with all the presentations and explanations, many students are still unsure of what lies in the future. High school does have its difficulties, but there is more than meets the eye. For some, high school may be the best time of their lives, while for others, it might just be the start. So what was it like for the people before? Was it smooth for anyone? What kind of big shifts and surprises did they face? The experiences of current 9th graders and staff present valuable insight, significant shifts, unexpected challenges, and the doors of new opportunities at high school.
Everybody has a different story for how the start of their high school life was like, some might say it was stressful, while others might say it was smooth. At St. Mary’s International School, there are similar stories. Jinmok Lee (Class of 28) talked about his perception of school and how it changed. He mentioned how, “middle school was more of a practice on what is going to come in high school.” He said that whatever you do in middle school reflects on what happens in high school. Now, Jinmok has a “more serious perspective on academics as it can potentially affect (his) future.” He talked about how high school wants more independent skills and work, only receiving help from teachers when he struggled or wanted to improve on something. Mr. Brown, one of the counsellors in High School, referenced this: “It’s a chance for them to prove themselves. Teachers give them more opportunities to be independent. They’re not going to baby you anymore.” A 5th grader climbing to middle school would’ve also had similar shifts. More responsibility and expectations would be given to brand new 6th graders as they continue to grow. Ken Yamamoto (Class of 28) mentioned the looser restrictions: “Phones weren’t restricted to your lockers, which was nice.”
Academics play a big role in high school, but so does the community. At the start of the year, 9th graders got to experience their trips. Mr. Brown talked about how it is a time to relax and hang around with classmates, “We have our retreat at the beginning, which is three days in the mountains with teachers and advisors. I think they really enjoy that.” Ken and Jinmok talked about the trip. Saying they spent some time doing height-related activities, such as canyoning.
In high school, there are permanent and significant shifts, some unexpected and surprising, while others are expected. Ken talked about the amount of preparation he had. He was no stranger to the presentations and was not shocked by the transition itself. However, there were some things Ken had to adjust to: time. He talked about one obvious change, how the classes became longer. He didn’t have much to complain about but said it changed the way he approached things: “Time is limited and each test matters, I have to find ways to squeeze in study time to perform well on each test.” The workloads were different, but both Jinmok and Ken said it’s not as hard as it might seem if they’re skilled at time management. That didn’t mean Ken had any worries transitioning to high school. Like many other students his age, he talked about 3 dreaded letters, GPA. “I knew I was going to take Japanese A, and Japanese being one of my weakest subjects, I thought I was going to fail, but throughout the year, I have been able to maintain a somewhat reasonable grade.” Although high school came with its challenges, Ken was able to adapt quickly and relieve the anxiety. High school comes with many challenges. However, with composure and diligence, both Ken and Jinmok are able to overcome its challenges and succeed.
Beyond student experiences, Mr. Chan, the Learning Support teacher, mentioned changes similar to what Ken and Jinmok said, talking about the importance of habits and the quick learning curve. However, that wasn’t the only thing Mr. Chan talked about, he talked about the importance of motivation: “(You need to have) intrinsic, personal motivation to do well.” He talked about how students shouldn’t be dependent on outside factors to perform well in academics. Comments and support can be helpful, but in the end, it’s the person who has to work hard. Mr. Chan also mentioned insight other than academics,” in grade 8, you’re at the top of the totem pole in middle school. Yeah? When you come to high school, you’re at the bottom of the totem pole.” Academically, Mr. Brown similarly mentioned the importance of developing good habits: “They’re not used to studying enough at home, so their habits are not good enough.” As other sources said, the workload in high school is more intense as compared to middle school. Not getting used to it through habits puts a student at a disadvantageous and underprepared position. As a counselor, Mr. Brown also talked about a significant pattern occurring across the world: “I think the biggest pattern I noticed for ninth-grade boys is that they needed to have read a lot more in the summer, especially in English. They need to be better at reading and writing.” Although teachers are here to teach students, they also support students. In high school, this is no different as teachers guide students in 4 years of dramatic changes.
As the school year progresses, significant things often happen for students. Academically, this can be the semester exams, which could significantly affect grades. Jinmok explained this: “The exams are not easy, but not too difficult. What’s important is not to be pressured.” He also talked about his advice on it: “Having a calm approach and focusing on what you learned is the best way to approach taking exams.” One approach he used was memorization, explaining that it helps a lot in subjects such as History and English classes. Mr. Brown mentioned another aspect of grading, “All your grades are based on tests. There’s no homework grades. So that takes a lot of adjustment.” That doesn’t mean not doing homework is the best option; it still influences grades. Later on, those grades play a very important role: “The other major thing is all your grades are now going to be seen by colleges and will be the thing that determines whether or not you get into college.” Mr. Brown added on to this, the first semester grade in 9th grade would be one of, if not the most important, semesters in terms of becoming a good student. Mr. Chan also talked about the semester exams: “9th graders take a long time to comprehend the semester exams.” Students often worry or stress over the exams, getting into their nerves. Some completely neglect its importance, something Mr. Chan warned about. “(The semester exams are) one and done, you can’t come back and do a retest.”
However, Mr. Chan did say high school isn’t only about academics, “we (teachers) want you to play more sports and have more fun. You can do the musical and you do the play and you join varsity ensemble.” He mentioned how teachers want students to become their best selves, and at the same time, develop the responsibility and maturity of a good person. One thing he mentioned was a recent away game for Varsity Baseball to one of the base schools, the players would go in the middle of the week. After the matches, they would have the opportunity to eat at the base. Mr. Chan said it’s a great experience, but at the same time comes with responsibility. Although it’s not that middle schoolers cannot do these things, Mr. Chan talked about the baseball match as an opportunity for something privileged. Its not always that a middle schooler would be able to step into an American military base. More opportunities such as this away match is possible in high school as teachers expect more responsible and mature behaviour. High school is a time for new experiences and significant growth, but with it comes many responsibilities and maturity.
High school greatly affects a person’s life, it can affect where someone might go for college, even their jobs. However, it’s not the end of the world if things don’t go to plan. After all, life his rarely a straight path. Mr. Chan illustrated this, “If you’d have told me when I was graduating university that I would be in Japan teaching, I would have thought you were joking, I’d have had a big laugh.” Life is unpredictable. It’s not the end of the world if a dream college sends a rejection letter or a job application is rejected; one bad outcome shouldn’t be the reason for an unfulfilling life. From the start of 9th grade, the shifts across high school, and significant events across the school year, high school is a time of rigorous academics, but at the same time, a time of change, growth, opportunity, and the start of a new life. The sound of the bell rings, as a freshman closes his locker, head held high and shoulders relaxed, the student enters his new classroom. With one deep breath, the next chapter in his life starts.
