by Aidan Therrien ’23

It is not unlikely that your circle of friends will look very different by the end of high school. Mine certainly does; my current group contains zero friends from middle school. Groups may grow apart without necessarily having a blowout fight, and this is normal. What is important is to expect this change. Learning to accept change is a big part of the high school experience. Your friends will change, your groups will change, and you will change. All of this ends with the ultimate change of leaving MCPS. It is easy to acknowledge these impending changes, but it may be frightening to internalize them.

The friends that you walk into high school with will likely change hugely as individuals. It’s important to remember that a lot of people are discovering themselves in high school, and as a result, certain friends will slowly drift away. People who were compatible with you at one point may not be down the line. This can be disheartening to a young teen, it certainly was to me, but you should keep in mind that it is not anyone’s fault.

Embrace social changes and discomfort. Comfort is a sign of stagnation, but being uncomfortable is a sign of growth. Growing apart from a friend group means you have outgrown your previous group, and growing apart from a close friend means you outgrew each other. No one is necessarily to blame in most situations.

Now is the time to experiment socially; high school is a low-stakes situation to take social risks because there is a 4 year expiration on everything you say or do. Try out for football on a whim, a coach might see value for you on the team. Join the school orchestra with minimal experience on an instrument. Beyond finding out what you may be good at, you’ll be in new social situations that forces you to grow. Sherwood has no shortage of different groups to get involved with that will have a positive impact on you.