Fresh Opinions

It has been over a month since the High School of Environmental Studies, located in Midtown Manhattan, opened its doors for the more than 1000 students who attend.

Amongst this number of students alike, the majority of these are freshmen. This is the first time they have ever been to a high school, these students had to adapt to new schedules and commutes. We have gone around and asked multiple freshmen their personal opinions of the school in order to see how the new arrivals are feeling.

When asked about their initial thoughts, most freshmen were comfortable about the school, they felt safe and enjoyed the friendliness of most of the community.

The curriculum given by the school was favored by students. One student spoke on how the High School offered languages like Mandarin which are usually unavailable in other schools.

When it came to the teachers, there were mixed responses. Some students did enjoy all of the staff, while others had more negative experiences.

“Many of my teachers pushed out a lot of homework and it became overwhelming at some points.” One student underlined when asked about the workload in classes.

Some teachers' unfair grading systems and condescending behaviors have had students resentful of some classes, even causing a particular few to attempt changing their schedules.

The most common issue freshmen encountered in the school were the cramped halls and staircases during transition periods. For some students being late to classes is an unfortunate reality due to the arduous process of going up and down the countless levels of the school. Multiple students wished there were more ways to transfer through the floors without the struggle of having to pass through hundreds of people.

As the year progresses and transforms so will the opinions of students. We will periodically interview freshmen and upperclassmen alike to see whether changes can be made to make HSES more enjoyable for everyone.