Missing Middle School

From small middle school to a comparatively huge high school, some members of the Falcon family talk about what they miss most from those simpler times.

To some, high school is a dream come true, getting away from all the drama of middle school. But when the reality of late nights, a heavy workload, and planning for the future hits you, it can leave most people wishing for those carefree days.

Coming from a small graduating class of 36 at Holy Spirit School, Maliah Haroldson (’16) misses having a close knit class where you got to know everybody.

“You were like a family because you had been with these kids for so long,” she says. “It was really all about the little connections you all had with each other.”

This loss of a sense of family going from small middle school classes to the bigger high school realm is an issue that a lot of kids face.

Looking back on her days at Holy Spirit, Maliah admits that a lot of the issues they thought were huge back then now seem miniscule in comparison.

“The gossip of ‘oh this person is dating this person’ and just discovering all of these new things was huge back then,” Maliah remembers. “In middle school we were all just figuring out how to navigate Instagram and competing to see who could get the most phone numbers.”

“It really was all of those little things that mattered most to you. Now I feel that we’ve all gotten to see the bigger picture as we get older, and you’re actually exposed to reality outside of that little bubble of middle school.”

In addition to missing the simplicity, Maliah also misses her school uniform.

“It was so easy — I knew what I would be wearing every day,” the senior says. “I could just put it on, go to school, and be done.”

Another alum of a small school, Anthony Sweha (’19) misses his middle school, St. James in Davis.

“I think the hardest part is not being able to hang out with my old friends because a lot of them go to other schools now,” he says.

The transition to earlier mornings and longer days was another rude awakening to the freshman.

“I miss how easy the school day was and now it’s a lot more difficult,” the freshman says. “But I’ve gotten used to it — somewhat.”

No matter how anxious you were in 8th grade to get out of middle school and enter high school, I think a little part of every one of us can reminisce back to the simpler days once in a while and wish we were back there.