As the hallways of Ridge High School fill yet again, an elusive species scurries among the towering trees of senior football players and shuffles through dense expanses of backpacks.

In high schools all across the nation, the freshmen are arguably the most under-represented demographic. Ridge High School is no exception to this rule. Thus, I recently captured two representative specimens of the Ridge freshmen class and recorded their thoughts in an effort to expose these misunderstood creatures and reminisce about the time we were once underlings too.

My two subjects, Hannah Alexander and Peyton Robb, have effervescent personalities. They never stopped giggling throughout our entire exchange. Our conversation was as follows:

Ruiyan Wang, Reporter for The Devil’s Advocate: How has your experience at Ridge been so far?

Hannah Alexander: I’m glad I’m out of middle school and I hope Ridge gets better.

RW: Is there anything in particular that has stood out to you?

Peyton Robb: Some of the teachers are nice. But some of them are really annoying.

RW: Can you guys tell me about one favorite part of Ridge?

PR: Oh, favorite? I like…

HA: (laughs) The crowded hallways.

PR: Um, I like not being as directed by teachers as in Annin.

HA: Yeah, having more freedom is good.

RW: Can you tell me about your least favorite parts?

HA: (laughs) The crowded hallways.

PR: Yeah, that one hallway between the four-hundred and five-hundred wings is horrible!

RW: How did you feel about coming to Ridge? Were you more excited or nervous?

HA:  I was kind of nervous but excited. I was more nervous because it’s a big school. You have to meet new people.

RW: Did you meet any of the upperclassmen? Did they treat you well?

HA: The upperclassmen are really nice!

PR: They didn’t look at us!

(They look at each other)

PR and HA: (simultaneously) Oh…

PR: They didn’t even look at us. They didn’t look at us or talk to us.

HA: But they always helped us if we asked.

PR: I didn’t ask anything…and they didn’t offer to help.

RW: What are you looking forward to most this year?

PR: Um… I don’t know. Do the freshmen do anything?

HA: I’m looking forward to prom.

PR: But prom is in two years.

HA: (to reporter) You can just take me this year! I’m also excited to go to football games with friends. I only have like… three friends.

PR: Oh, and sports!

RW: Yeah, I understand that you guys are both part of the volleyball program here at Ridge. How has being on a sports team impacted your transition to high school? Has it made it easier or harder?

HA: It’s definitely easier being on a team because if you see your teammates in the hallways, they always say hi. Even varsity helps us out.

PR: They don’t say hi to me!

HA: Oh, well they always say hi to me.

RW: How do you think Ridge can be made…more welcoming to incoming students?

HA: They should have an explanation of how to get to the six-hundred wing [more easily].

PR: But there’s a hallway!

HA: Yeah, but it’s so confusing!

PR: They should have a big banner in front of the school that says: “Welcome freshmen!”

HA: Or have an assembly on the first day of school to talk to the freshman.

RW: Are there any final thoughts about being freshmen that you’d like to share with us?

PR: Can I ask a question?

RW: Sure!

PR: Does it get more fun?

RW: Is it not fun right now?

PR: It’s definitely not fun right now… it’s all just work. And tiredness. And being sleepy.

RW: So you guys have no final thoughts?

PR: Wait a second. (giggles)

HA: The food in the vending machine is good.

PR: The pop tarts are REALLY good…but I haven’t tried them yet. And chicken finger Wednesday is great.

HA: Everyone is really welcoming.

PR: I like being in classes with not only freshmen people, but with upperclassmen too. You get to meet other people, and aren’t stuck with freshmen.

RW: Do the freshmen not like each other?

PR: Yeah, the freshmen don’t like each other.

RW: Why is that?

PR: We’ve just been together for too long.

Although the daily struggle of high school course work, navigating the halls, and managing extracurricular activities may be taxing, perhaps it would be rewarding for the sophomores, juniors, and seniors of Ridge High School to take the time to have a conversation with a freshman. While the freshmen indubitably have the most to learn about the high school experience, we all can benefit from their optimism and eagerness. Maybe being reminded of the initial excitement and wonder that comes with entering high school is just the cure needed for the apathy of senioritis. Maybe remembering how we all “started from the bottom” is exactly what we need to appreciate how “now we’re here.”