Most of Guilford’s students begin at GHS their freshman year. However, a handful of students begin their ‘fresh start’ a little later than 9th grade. So why do these students decide to transfer?

The reasons behind transferring to a new school vary per student. Some students move into different school zones, others have friends here, and some are interested in the courses offered at Guilford.

“Most of the time students transfer because they move into the Guilford zone,” said Mrs. Nielsen, EMITT counselor. “This year the zone changed giving students from East the choice to transfer.”

Besides a change in environment, Guilford offers the big high school experience such as football and participating in NIC-10 sports. Some smaller schools lack the same opportunities and school spirit.

“I transferred so I could have better teachers and have more high school experiences,” said Katelyn Keefe, who transferred this year as a junior. “At Keith we never had a student section, but at Guilford students religiously come to games and lose their voices from cheering so loud.”

Coming into a class of over 400 students and being the new kid can be a challenge, especially when a student enters beyond freshman year.

“On my first day I didn’t know someone in every class, but since I play volleyball it was a lot easier for me to get adjusted,” said Keefe.

Transfer students often don’t know many people and face the task of making new friends. Getting involved in school sports or clubs is one way to meet new people.

“Being on the soccer team has really helped me open up to meeting new people since I’m quiet in class,” said Joseph Battel, senior transfer from Boylan.

The counseling department also lends a hand in helping students get acclimated to their new school.

“Ideally we give tours to transfers at registration and make sure they know where to get the ID and textbooks,” said Nielsen. “This year has been a little overwhelming since there have been more transfers.”

Private school students are in for a big change when transferring to public school. Class size, courses, and lunch hours differ at each school.

“Guilford was a lot bigger than my old school,” said Lewinski. “I was initially intimidated but now I’m really excited for the rest of the school year.”

Not only is GHS a lot bigger than private schools, but it also offers academies exclusive to RPS205. Academies give students an opportunity to cater their high school classes towards the profession they are interested in.

“I look forward to being a part of the HS academy,” said Battel. “I get the opportunity to take anatomy, which is really important since I want to go pre-med and become an orthopedic surgeon.”