Being both a junior high and a senior high, BSM welcomes both new and returning students each year as eighth graders become ninth graders and enter into the senior high. There are many pros to attending junior high here at BSM prior to senior high, but is it necessary for everyone?
Though there’s not a right or wrong answer, many students in the senior high say that attending junior high at BSM was beneficial for them socially. “I’m glad I went to junior high here because I was able to meet new people and get a sense of what BSM felt like before high school,” sophomore Harper Stevenson-Shimek said.
I’m glad I went to junior high here because I was able to meet new people and get a sense of what BSM felt like before high school.”
— Harper Stevenson-Shimek
In the years 2020 and 2021, BSM attracted many new students as COVID-19 overtook the lives of many. Junior Alex Luke elaborates that BSM managed COVID-19 well, and she’s glad she made the switch early on in junior high. “Coming to BSM just made my experience with COVID-19 a lot easier since it wasn’t all online school, unlike other schools. I was overall glad I came to BSM for junior high for many reasons,” Luke said.
Junior Lulu Rucinski is one of many students in her class who did not attend BSM for junior high. She did not feel like she lacked skills socially or academically when entering BSM as a new student her freshman year. Coming from a public school, her experience with the faith at BSM was a bit of a switch. “The only disadvantage I felt [not attending junior high at BSM] was the theology aspect because coming from a public school, I was never taught about God and other students were so that was definitely a change for me,” Rucinski said.
It’s important for all students to have a smooth transition from junior high to senior high as high school is a lot to take in alone. Luckily, students who came to BSM freshman year felt that was the case. “I would say that BSM is a bit harder than my previous school, but at the same time, the teachers here help a bunch and really care about each individual student so it was easy for me to ease in and adjust,” Rucinski said.
Overall, students who attended junior high here at BSM found it great to attend for both social and academic purposes. However, it’s no requirement to be able to succeed in senior high. “I think [attending BSM junior high is] a good idea because you can meet a lot of new people while you’re still young and in middle school, but I would also say don’t feel pressured or feel you need to because you can still meet so many people entering into senior high as well,” Stevenson-Shimek said.