Freshman year certainly has its ups and downs. I can remember being both nervous and excited three years ago when I was a new student at MC.
Those feelings eventually fizzled out the more and more I became involved in extracurriculars and the community as a whole, but those first few weeks were quite nervewracking.
I didn’t know many of my classmates, was wary that MC was not the right fit for me, and was not sure how I would find my place at a school that felt so new to me.
Then Freshman Impact Week happened. I’ll never forget that time as it was a school event I can point to as making me feel as if I had found my new home.
That one week allowed me to meet new people that I’m still very close with even three years later and also made me feel like I was a part of the brotherhood that had been talked about so much by my family while I was growing up.
I’m not the only senior that feels this way about Freshman Impact Week, especially the part about meeting fellow classmates.
“I got to know more people because at the time I was mostly just friends with the soccer team,” said senior Julian Velazquez. “Having that Freshman Impact Week allowed me to connect with more people in my class and also some upperclassmen which was pretty cool.”
It looks as if the specific aspect of meeting new people hasn’t changed much since Velazquez and I were freshmen.
“Everyday there was something we did that brought the freshman class together,” said Spencer Collins, who attended Freshman Impact Week two weeks ago. “This was done in a way that was natural for us.”
Collins’ comment on how his class came together brought back memories from when I was a freshman at my own Impact Week.
Going to a food pantry, putt.ing down mulch at a local park in the city, or even staying at MC for the student-led retreat gave me better opportunities to make friends and connections more so than any regular day of classes could have.
“That week really emphasized brotherhood,” said freshman Matt Clark. “Some of those days were hard work, but it was hard work spent with each other and was quality time for us.”
Clark, Collins, and the entire freshman class is still in the midst of their first trimester at MC. This trimester includes many firsts, such as their first time in the student section at athletic events, first homecoming week, MC Expedition, and Freshman Late Night where they get their scapulars.
All of these events are crucial in both welcoming the class into the brotherhood and introducing them to traditions that upperclassmen and alumni are very familiar with.
What makes Freshman Impact Week so unique is that it is the first hands-on experience for the entire class to become brothers. They no longer have to listen to someone telling them about what’s to come but instead get to actually participate in it.
“So far that week has been the most important one for me at MC,” said Collins. “I met new people, but also got to work with them. If you’re working with someone you have to trust them. If you don’t trust them you won’t do productive work. It’s a brotherhood when we do that work together.”
The emphasis on brotherhood and meeting new people is what makes Freshman Impact Week memorable, but what makes it even more of an important event for freshmen is the actual timing of the week during the school year.
“The first Impact Week of the year is with our freshmen for a reason,” said Mr. Matt Petrich who organizes the student-led retreats during the week. “They need an experience that’s going to define who they are and give them something that bonds them together. It’s a whole week out of the classroom right at the start of the school year.”
During my Freshman Impact Week I talked to multiple students and faculty members about certain sports and clubs. Soon after I ended up joining Caravan Media Group, of which I am now a senior leader today.
If that Impact Week was later on in the school year I most likely would’ve still met new people and joined CMG, but it was very helpful to do that in September and early on in the first trimester.
Overall, when I look back at my freshman year I feel as if those first few weeks in school defined what path I would take as a student in high school.The first event from that period of time that first comes to mind is Freshman Impact Week because it allowed me to finally navigate my way into MC’s brotherhood.
“That week is important for any freshman that comes to MC,” said Velazquez. “Now that I’ve led a retreat as a senior I saw the benefits of it even more clearly.”
