As the second semester comes to a halt, a fresh new start begins for all students across the district.  

Freshman Allydiana Bays shares her experience in 9th grade and her hopes for high school and beyond. 

Going from a junior high to a high school is a big move. The large campus of PHS can seem intimidating at first, but there are many exciting opportunities that lay within. 

“I’m excited to meet new people, be in a bigger building and have more variety of which classes I can take,” Bays said. 

Bays believes making connections with students and staff is an important aspect of school. 

“I hope that that I get to have new experiences. Meeting new people, having good relationships with my teachers and building connections,” Bays said. 

College has become an important part of most students futures, planning ahead is a great way of getting a head start for after high school. 

“I want to go to college, maybe at LSU or UCLA and then I might go into the medical field,” Bays said. 

Before Bays gets to high school, she hopes to learn as much as she can in junior high. 

“My hopes for the rest of the school year are that I pass all my classes with at least an A and that I just get to learn more,” Bays said. 

Bays advice to other freshmen entering high school is to give it their all. 

“Not holding back and taking every little opportunity you can to make yourself better,” Bays said. 

Lilly Ferrin, a freshman planning to attend PHS, believes that high school is more than just a place to learn math and history. 

“I think you can learn a lot from it, especially in public school. It really prepares you for the workforce and [helps you] learn how to be a better person. It just opens your eyes on what people are really like,” Ferrin said. 

Ferrin enjoys sports as well as school, getting good grades is a goal of hers. 

“I have a passion for contact sports [because] I’m a competitive person. I’m also passionate about grades,” Ferrin said. 

After high school, adult life begins and many students hope to become more independent, including Ferrin. 

“[I’d like to go] out of state for college. I just feel like I’d be a lot more independent that way,” Ferrin said. 

Improving the lives of others is something that is near and dear to Ferrin’s heart, and the medical field is a way to do that. 

“I was thinking of a medical career, I would like to help people out. For the longest time, I didn’t want to go into the medical career because my [parents] wanted me to,” Ferrin said. 

Although Ferrin’s high school career has barely started, she’s already excited for what the future holds. 

“I can’t wait to live my life further, getting more experience, gaining knowledge and learning from my mistakes,” Ferrin said. 

Some of the goals that freshman Michael Elliott has for high school is to do well in his classes and play sports for the high school. 

“Probably just getting good grades. [I plan on] playing some sports and I’m going to do running start [during high school],” Elliott said. 

AP classes’ difficult classwork can discourage some students from taking them. However, Elliott is up to the challenge. 

“[I’m worried about] classes like AP courses. [I’m going to take] AP Calculus and Pre-AP English,” Elliott said. 

Engineering has always been a passion for Elliott, he hopes to continue working in engineering after high school. 

“One of my friends is doing [engineering] with me. I’ve always liked engineering, it has just been fun,” Elliott said. 

There are many exciting opportunities for students at PHS, for Elliott that is learning ASL in ASL 1. 

“I’m taking ASL, I took it because I thought it would be fun and something cool to learn,” Elliott said. 

Elliott believes that getting good grades in high school is important, but it is even more important to have good friends. 

“Grades [are important] for sure, then getting into good colleges afterwards. [I think] the people you choose to hang around are important,” Elliott said. 

After high school, Elliott is planning on carrying on his families legacy and joining the military. 

“[I hope to go to] the military and then finding a job after the military. My father and my grandfather were both in the military,” Elliott said.