I will not write a cheesy letter to incoming freshmen, sophomore, junior, or senior students. Falling into that trap will be the end of me, not to mention an over-used waste of pixels in my wonderful column. Not to say that letters to students are bad. All I want to do is write something different, something original. This is something I’ve wanted to bring to the school’s attention for a while.

 I have noticed significant differences in each of the classes ever since freshman year, and I had assumed back then that this was just a change in students, different popular groups, and maybe, just maybe, a little because of age. It is only until recently that I realized that the changes between classes have not followed them throughout the years. Strangely, this year’s seniors act just like last year’s seniors, and so on with the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. I have concluded that high school is not only a place of social festering and diversity, but an adolescent cocoon in which each age group undergoes similar metamorphoses at around the same time.

I’ve resolved that the following descriptions are each of the changes that nearly every high school student goes through before becoming a full-blown adult. There are instances where these are not stereotypes, but as they are a current observation, their accuracy is considerably true. Next time you see high schoolers of a different class try using these small descriptions to try to tell them apart. You’ll be surprised at how accurate you can be.

 Freshmen: those who hold an air of pride, yet are secretly insecure. New school, new rules, new social norms, and new expectations; with nothing certain, everything’s up for grabs. That said, nothing will stop a freshman from impressing his or her peers or upperclassmen; this includes embarrassing his or herself by misbehaving oh so hilariously. Similar to middle schoolers in the real world, freshmen are brash and confident, yet still don’t have enough experience to be blamed for it.

Sophomore: those who are overconfident about their ability to get through school, also known as “too cool for school.” Perhaps going through the easiest year of high school doesn’t prepare them for junior year, but their ignorance is bliss for now. Teachers, however, see no real difference between sophomores and freshmen. They’re treated as newbies, but are under the impression that they know the school inside and out. Similar to teenagers in the real world, sophomores may just have the biggest heads of the high school world.

Junior: comparable to college students of the real world. The big year brings big stress on juniors, and the beginning of the year is often a shocker for these caterpillars. The expectations have risen, but also the social clashes. Nothing in relationships is straightforward anymore, and relationships which thrived in young ignorance suddenly begin to peel. There is also a significant drop of school spirit, as now that the high school career of the student is already halfway gone, it suddenly seems quite overrated.

Seniors: those with “senioritis” who feel they are basically finished with school and have a new definition for the word “lazy.” There is, of course, a natural sense of expectation from the world around them, expecting to be granted anything they wish simply because they’ve succeeded passing their classes. They do, however, hold the great weight of college and other dangerous endeavors on their shoulders, so their expectations have cause.

(P.S. Welcome to The Litterbox.)