Switching schools isn’t always the easiest. Having to leave all your old friends behind, and starting the process of making new friends all over again is hard. This year (2017-18) Arlington High School has had over a hundred new students.

Entering a new school for the first time can be awkward and sometimes you may feel out of place. Not a lot of people love moving schools. Yet here are some of the experiences and stories of your peers who started Arlington High School this year.

Sophomore Emiliya Lapina (‘20) moved from Mariner High School, in Everett, which isn’t the farthest, but still was a big change for Emily. “Georgia Arnold was the first one I met when I showed up to Arlington. She was so nice she just welcomed me quickly and introduced me to her other friends, this made the making friends thing easier. Her and I rode the bus together so we talked a lot and became close friends pretty fast,“ she said

Freshman Lillian Rasmussen (‘21) moved here from Spain, she is not a foreign exchange student though. “ When I first arrived here in Arlington I started to attend a church, where I had met Leo Romans and Abby Fairbanks. They welcomed me to my new school and introduced me to all their friends who soon became mine. The people here at Arlington where kind and very welcoming. The friends I first met have been my best friends since the day I got here,“ she said.

Arlington High School students accept new students and help them adapt to this environment. New students don’t have it easy, but walking into a school that welcomes you the way Arlington does helps the whole process go more smoothly and less stressful.