By Sahana ‘26
Before coming to Harvard-Westlake, I was used to a very different school environment. There were 30 people in my entire class – everyone knew each other, everyone had the same teachers, and even the campus was small. It was already going to be a big transition going into middle school, and going from a class size of 30 to 200+ on a much bigger campus didn’t make it seem any easier!
At the time, it felt daunting – I was worried I’d get lost or not be able to find my friends on my first day. However, when the time came reality turned out to be very different from what I expected. There was so much that happened even before school started. First, we had fast start, where we practiced finding our classes and using our schedules. During fast start, we also got to meet some teachers and make new friends with classmates. I still remember that Mr. Ross was one of the teachers I had for my fast start math class, and he’s been my favorite math teacher ever since I had him for Geometry in 9th grade! Before fast start, running across campus during 5-minute passing periods and finding my classes in the many buildings seemed impossible, but I was definitely looking forward to my first day of school more after it was over!
Once school started, the new environment was definitely clear – there were so many people on campus! But all of my teachers were so understanding, and everyone was so welcoming knowing that it was still one of our first times on campus. We were introduced to our deans, Dr. Carroll and Ms. Reola, who were there to help us with anything that we needed. It was so easy to make friends too – another great thing about a larger school is that there’s someone for everyone to be friends with. I find that this is definitely true at HW, especially with the wide range of interests and things you’re able to be a part of that HW offers. It’s easy to find people you can connect with in a big environment.
With all that HW offers, it can at first be overwhelming to choose what you want to be part of and try at school. Luckily, middle school schedules are designed to help you try many different activities to help you find what you may be interested in. From athletics to arts, to the long list of clubs and other activities you can join to make friends and explore your interests, all that HW has to offer might at first feel overwhelming, but it ends up being one of the best parts of your HW experience. For me, this opportunity to try so many different activities and join so many different clubs helped me realize my favorite things to focus on and become friends with people who share my interests throughout my HW experience. The most important thing is to remember not to let HW’s size intimidate you especially if you’re coming from a smaller school – through all the support systems the school offers you’ll be able to find ways to find your own place in the HW community.
