Being a freshman is no easy task. New classes, new classmates, and 11 stories filled with approximately 1,700 students only add to the first-year confusion. Adjusting to and succeeding in this new environment is a challenge that everyone has to go through, but how does the Class of 2019 feel about it?

North Atlanta is a big school and our building is a big place. With around 470 students, the mondo-sized freshman class is the largest academic class in the school. A school our size is a big adjustment for new arrivals who came from Sutton Middle School, and an even bigger adjustment for students from other schools. “It’s flipping massive,” said Dante Bastien, commenting on the building’s colossal stature.

Elevators are supposed to be an easy, relaxing way to travel long distances upwards and downwards in a short amount of time. At least, this is the notion that freshman have before their first time inside a North Atlanta elevator. All thoughts of comfort are obliterated when you are standing packed in a little box with 20 others, with each student’s respective backpack bulging outward, taking up space in the cramped quarters. Wisdom comes quickly to first-year students. “Don’t go on the elevators. Take the stairs,” said Lily Lieng, offering some hard-earned advice.

From their first day here, freshmen that stairwells at North Atlanta can be taxing on both the body and the mind. The prominent central stairwell stretches all the way from the first floor up to the 11th. This core corridor is the preferred method of travel for freshmen. But due to its hyper-popularity, the space can feature body to body traffic. There a lot of moving up, down, slowing to a crawl and even coming to a complete standstill. “Well, they’re definitely not the stairs to heaven,” says Kelley Estis.

As if there weren’t enough academic challenges throughout the day, students are thrown a social challenge during lunchtime. Knowing where to sit, who to sit with, and how to avoid social awkwardness are all concepts that take time to learn. Some more comfortable students choose not to eat anything and would rather devote lunch purely to social time. “It’s not always good for eating, but talking to your friends is cool,” says Isaiah Hily.

For members of the Class of 2019, some of the most important learning doesn’t take place in the classroom. It happens in the hallways, the elevators and the stairwells of our school. And that first lesson – survival – is a pretty important one.