Standing at the very top of the bleachers, sitting by the vending machines, getting gator clapped at by the upperclassmen, large amounts of homework and many new experiences are all things that come with being a freshman at Notre Dame.

However, many freshmen are excited by the new opportunities that await them at the Academy.

“Freshman year is a new experience, and I am excited to get to learn new material in a different environment,” said Emily Kulick.

“I like the teachers at Notre Dame because they have lots of years of experience, and they are very knowledgeable in their subjects. I am very excited to learn new teaching styles since teachers normally don’t just teach straight from the textbook,” said Alexa Vande Corput.

“I like coming to a bigger school and getting to use lockers,” said Dominic Vanden Elzen.

“I enjoy the freedom of being a freshman because it gives me a better chance to learn myself instead of being told how to do different tasks,” said another newcomer to NDA.

Even though freshman year is an exciting new experience, it can also be a very intimidating experience.

A lot of the students that enroll at NDA come from GRACE system schools which are smaller Catholic schools within the Green Bay area.

Usually, their class sizes would range from 20-40 students depending on the school, while the freshman class this year has more than 200 students.

“Since I came to NDA, I got to experience the process of making friends easier because I wasn’t so restricted to just 20 kids or so in class. I can meet friends at events, lunch or even just in the hallway,” said one freshman.

“I joined the dance team, and so I have come to know a few of the upperclassmen. Knowing a few friendly faces before I started school at Notre Dame made the first few days of school less intimidating,” stated Vande Corput.

“The first day is very intimidating being a freshman, but soon you just fall into a groove. Then it isn’t very intimidating anymore,” said Vanden Elzen.

To make NDA feel like a second home, many of the students become involved with different activities such a sports and clubs.

“I am currently in cross country, and I like it a lot. I get to meet a ton of new people which is great,” said Vanden Elzen.

“I am also in cross country, and all the people are nice. It’s a good workout, plus it’s a lot of fun when you aren’t running,” said Kulick.

“Currently I am on the dance team, and I joined so I could become more involved with the school. All the people on the dance team are very nice girls who are very helpful and supportive,” said Vande Corput.

As more and more days go by, the freshmen will settle into the NDA community and become an integral part of its family.