As I approach my senior year at Antioch Community High School, I am filled with excitement to begin my final year, all the energy that comes with it and a slight  impatience to receive my diploma and begin my future. But many of you are in suspense or filled with worry about what to expect or rumors you may have heard about your freshman year. When I first walked through these doors my freshman year, there was no way that I could have ever imagined that I would become the Editor-In-Chief of the Tom Tom; I thought I was going to be the typical football player. High school is full of the unexpected, and with that comes change and growth. Welcome the unexpected, and don’t worry, this issue is designed to help you do just that, while also guiding you through your freshman year and calming your worries of the unknown.

This issue makes me look back at a time that seemed not too long ago, yet feels like forever: freshman year. The closer and closer I got to becoming a freshman the more and more nervous I began to feel. I kept hearing all the dumb rumors: pennies being thrown at freshmen, or the upperclassmen selling elevator passes. I didn’t even know we had an elevator, so I definitely did not believe that rumor, and no one is going to throw pennies at you. My biggest worry was not knowing my way around a new, big school.

At freshman orientation I received a map with both levels of the school on it, and you better believe I had that thing glued to me on the first day. I was determined I wasn’t going to be that freshman who walked into the wrong classroom, but of course, I walked into at least one wrong classroom in that first week. If you do end up getting lost, the teachers are very helpful; they’ll get you to exactly where you need to be. Once I got all my classes down I realized how fun high school really is: from all the pep rallies and extracurriculars, to sporting events and bonfires. For me, one of the most important parts of my time at ACHS are the football games on Friday nights.

When I take the field for the first time this fall and I look up at the stands, I hope to see it full of parents, friends and family, but most of all, Cardinal Crazies. It makes me think back to when I was in those stands screaming, along with the hundreds of other fans surrounding me, for the seniors out on that field who were pouring out their blood, sweat and tears for us. Now, I think about how I am doing what I love for you, as they did for me.

My advice to you… don’t get caught up in all the drama and rumors you hear, because it’s not worth the time. Just be you. Over the years, I’ve made a lot of very good friends and I’ve lost some, but don’t change who you are to try to impress someone or because someone does not like you; your real friends will accept you just for who you are.

Don’t get stressed over freshman year; you’ll come to see it as a fun experience. Most importantly, remember, you are a Sequoit now, and once a Sequoit, always a Sequoit.

NICHOLAS G. DOROSAN

Editor-in-Chief