Dear Future Sixth Graders,

As we approach the end of another school year, something exciting is happening to all of you that you’ve not experienced before. This experience is a transition, and it’s one of the biggest transitions you will make as a person growing up. That transition we speak of is the passage from elementary school to middle school, the first transition into a massive school for many students.

At your current school you are the biggest kids in town, but entering middle school you realize that you’re now going to be the smallest kids around (with 7th and 8th graders who might tower over you in the hallways.) Looking straight up to look at people may happen. You’re going from a small one or two story building to a giant four story building with tons of hallways and rooms.  

You’re also entering  a school with many other of your peers as well. You’re going from a group of 120 – 140 students in your grade to over 400 people. They could be scary too, not in the towering-over-you way that the seventh and eighth graders may be, but in the way that they could take your title. You may have been one of the smartest kids or the most talented in an area, but you fear that kids from other schools may be as talented or better than you at your thing. Your title as the best may disappear instantly.

So after all that depressing insight you might believe, we’re here to tell you the truth of how being a Mustang will pan out for the next three years of your life. The main point is what you fear about next year, what you see dampening your future, won’t happen to you here at Canyon Vista.

Everyone agrees that there is a major difference between middle school and elementary school. In elementary school you have a primary teacher for all your core classes and separate teachers for music, art, and gym. In middle school, each of your teachers only teaches you one subject instead of multiple. You’re more independent: you walk to each of your seven different classes throughout the day by yourself.

Freedom basically describes what middle school schedules give to you. Instead of having the same exact classes as everyone else, elective classes are up to the student to decide what to take. In sixth grade you are only offered one elective, but in seventh and eighth grade you’re given more elective spots and more options. Instead of having a class you like only once or twice a week you will have it daily for almost an hour.  There are also tons of clubs to fulfill any interests you may have.

The insane increase in fellow peers in your grade is not a negative thing. Everyone that you meet will be a unique person interested in your life too. Making tons of new friends is inevitable. Having three times the students in your grade means you’ll have three times the friends to make! Remember to not just hang out with old buddies of yours, but to engage yourself in the lives of everyone you meet here in the Canyon.

The rate and enjoyment of learning here is also magnified. Daily homework may seem like a tough task to handle but it really isn’t and it helps you learn stuff much quicker. In class you participate in many group activities, group projects, and group discussions that create a great learning environment. If you aren’t understanding a topic in class don’t be embarrassed to get help! You can stay after school or go in the mornings for tutorials with your teachers to help you.

Coming to Canyon Vista may be a new experience for you, but that experience doesn’t have to and shouldn’t be a bad thing. Enjoy your time in middle school by making friends and doing what you love. Be yourself, and make your three years here the best three years of your life so far!

-Ananth Kumar, Joshua Louie, Hayden Swanson

(Hello staff from last year if you are seeing this!)