I remember the first time I stepped into NPA. I felt sick and dizzy. It seemed as if every single person in the hallway was staring at me like I was some sort of weird sea creature that lived in the very depths of the ocean. The second day was just the same. Walking by everyone with eyes surrounding me made me tense up. The third and fourth days were repeats. It wasn’t until about a month had passed of difficult school work and working up the courage to make new friends that I started to feel comfortable in my own skin. Now I look at the new seventh graders and wonder if they felt the same as I did on that hot August day. Did they feel nervous, excited, or distraught? Well, I know one person who can answer these questions. Clare O’Brien is a new seventh grade girl at NPA. I ask her all the time of what she thinks of NPA and how her first day really went. I remember her telling me that of course she was nervous, but she was more excited and ready to start the year then I ever was. She is more the type of person who doesn’t dwell on what others think of her. There are always those days that she is frustrated with NPA because she is stressed and confused, but overall Clare seems pretty comfortable about being in the NPA environment. This raised the question on how other new seventh graders felt on the first day of school and what they think of it at this point in time. What are the views of other seventh grade students at NPA?