Eighth graders are leaving this year and this is a very important year for them because most of their grades will depend on what classes they have in high school.  This is a sad but very exciting experience for these eighth-graders who are soon going to be freshmen in West Scranton High School.  West Scranton High School will be really different from middle school, but all they have learned and worked for will help them in high school. In this article we have chosen two eighth grade students, Brian Fried and Madison Tesluk, to interview about their middle school experiences and how they are feeling about going into high school. The first person we interviewed was Madison Tesluk. We asked her several questions that she honestly answered. The first question we asked her was what was her favorite part about middle school? She directly said, “ The teachers because they were really nice.” She also said, “ My favorite grade was sixth grade and my favorite house is Theta.  I loved having Mrs. McDonald and Mrs. Donelan as teachers. I recommend that you should do all the sports and clubs for West, but I only picked three–Track, Cross Country, and Newspaper Club.” Her response for leaving middle school was this, “I am kind of happy to leave middle school because I will have more opportunities.” 

Then we interviewed Brian Fried. We asked him the same questions as we did to Madison. He said, “My favorite part about middle school is the freedom we have like the snack line and that you get different people in each period.  My favorite grade was sixth grade because of the teachers. My advice for middle schoolers is to stay organized and get involved in activities and talk to more people. I recommend doing whatever sport that you enjoy playing and not be afraid to try new clubs. I like all my teachers equally, but my favorites were Mr. Field and Mrs. Mangan. I loved Lambda and Phi equally as my favorite houses. My favorite related arts are gym and Spanish because the gym teacher, Mr. Ciullo, is the basketball coach, and the Spanish teacher, Mrs. Reese because she makes learning fun. “Last but not least we asked him how he is feeling about leaving middle school and going to high school.  He said, “I’m very excited for new teachers, opportunities for different classes, and to be moving on with my friends.” That was all the questions we asked him, summed up. The two eighth-graders we interviewed seem to love middle school, but also are excited to go to high school. Congratulations to all the eighth graders that are graduating this year! We are so proud of you! West is Best!