High school expectations can be extremely crazy. Incoming high school students expect their lives to include confined cliques, radioactive school lunches, and spontaneous dance breaks in the cafeteria. Generally, TV and movies make high school seem like a hostile environment. In reality however, it is not nearly as bad as it seems. Especially at Arlington High School.

At AHS there are a variety of different students. Each group of students is more like a subculture, not a clique. Every group is supportive of each other in someway. In other words, no student is to feel out of place, because at Arlington everyone coexists with one another.

Many incoming freshman expect  their transition to high school will be tough because of an unwelcoming crowd. Freshman Ivy Ewing (‘20) envisioned high school to be like the movie Mean Girls. After a couple days of getting use to AHS, she said “everyone is a lot more mature and nicer than in Mean Girls.” Here at Arlington High School the staff and student body makes an effort to ensure the freshmen feel welcome.

Some people will refer to high school as a prison. That is untrue for many reasons. One being that high schoolers generally have more freedom than younger students. They are given more options to choose from.  Including different foods at lunch.

Senior Devon Nutter (‘17) said, “ the food definitely lived up to its expectation. The school’s alfredo pasta is the best.”

So far, AHS has to offer a diverse, welcoming student body and flexibility for a person’s needs. However, it also has to offer an amazing staff. Teachers put in an unimaginable amount of effort to help their student succeed.

English and leadership teacher Mr. Ballew said, “Arlington High School doesn’t fit the stereotypical schools we see in movies because the staff is more in touch with students and students are more respectable with each other.”