The first year students were not the only new thing at freshmen orientation this year.

The day itself was more time-consuming, informative and hands-on than years past. Antioch Community High School’s freshmen class, the class of 2017, spent

a full day navigating the details and difficulties of the first year of high school.

The students started orientation by attending a mini-pep rally in the gym featuring performances by the ACHS dance team and band. From there, the freshmen were split up into groups of about thirty, and were accompanied by two upperclassmen advisers and a staff member. Textbooks, emails and student IDs were assigned and distributed to one half of the freshmen class body while the other went on a complete tour of ACHS. After lunch, they traded places.

Avery Herbon, ACHS senior, said “I wish I had this as a freshman. They get a full tour!” Previously, freshman orientation has been only a few hours long with a much less structured schedule.

However, at times, the program didn’t seem to run too smoothly.

Student adviser and junior Anna McIlhany said, “Everything [was] ahead of schedule. [The freshmen were] just wandering around the whole time.”

Also new this year were two white graduation robes signed by every single freshman as a declaration of their goal to finish high school. Bryan Walter—a representative of Jostens, who provide the yearbook and class rings for ACHS—said, “Goals that aren’t written are just wishes.” By displaying the students’ signatures, the robes are a physical reminder of their commitment to graduate, hopefully inspiring endurance throughout the next four years.

Despite the new additions to orientation, freshmen still had first-day butterflies floating around in their stomachs.

“My classes are all over the place,” said freshman Lilly Ackeret. “The building is really big, so it’s going to be hard for me to get around.”

Even orientation itself seemed scary to some.

Freshman Nicholas Milone said, “I thought I’d get lost, I thought I wouldn’t make any new friends. I thought I would be scared, but I actually wasn’t.”

Despite their fears, in four years the class of 2017 will have grown into confident leaders who are ready to help the next freshman class adjust to high school.

Students and fears may vary, but some things never change.