Saving ninth-graders

Freshmen reel from culture shock

Tougher courses, peer pressure and hazing all create havoc, but some schools offer support

Jennifer Mrozowski / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- Avondale High School freshman Josh Mabbitt needed only five weeks after the start of school this year to join the ranks of the at-risk freshmen whom educators across Metro Detroit are trying to save.

"I was too busy caring about hanging out with my friends," said Mabbitt, 15. "My grades started slipping."

Thousands of freshmen like him face a culture shock -- especially in the first weeks of high school -- resulting from heightened peer pressure, tougher classes and social changes. School districts, recognizing this is a dangerous time for teens and that freshmen fall behind, fail classes or drop out of school more than those in other grades do, are giving more attention to this critical year.

Mabbitt admits he got caught up in the excitement of being able to court hundreds of new friends -- some with driver's licenses. But midway through the first semester, he got a wake-up call from some members of his old clique.

"They got on me big time," he said. "Now, they make me show them my grades."

Matthew Diemer, assistant professor in the counseling program at Michigan State University, said some freshmen like Josh never adjust to the cultural shift.

"A lot of their mental energy is taken up with figuring out how to figure out this new system and, depending on how much support they have to figure that out, they might not have as much mental energy left to stay engaged with school," he said.

Add sports, clubs, hormones and dating to the mix, and some ninth-graders forget their primary job is to learn.

Adjusting to tougher courses

Experts say one of the biggest challenges for freshmen is adjusting to the tougher courses in high school versus middle school, where promotion to the next grade often is routine. Changing and balancing classes six or seven times daily also can be draining.

Brighton High School freshman Ashton Gangnier, 14, said he quickly found he couldn't manage all his coursework and play football, as he had hoped.

"With all the work, it's just a lot harder," he said. "By the time you finish with your homework, you have to eat dinner and go to bed. It's pretty stressful."

He hopes his schedule will be under control by golf season so he can join that team.

While Gangnier is finding ways to stay afloat, other students struggle to balance classes with social pursuits.

Administrators at Avondale High were alarmed to learn that more than 20 percent of freshmen failed classes last year, a problem they attributed in part to culture shock. Teachers now mentor freshmen, including regular grade checkups and frequent conversations.

"If you can get them to feel comfortable on a personal level, it can break down some of the barriers," said Denise Ingham, who teaches math.

Peer pressure high now

Shannon McBrady, assistant principal of Center Line High, said some freshmen ignore their studies because they're too busy trying to make friends and "be cool." Others don't participate in class because they worry how their peers will judge them.

That's because freshmen-age students are going through a developmental phase in which they feel that a group of peers is always critiquing what they say and do, she said. Without support, some skip classes and avoid school, a key factor that can lead to failure, McBrady said.

Center Line freshman Maria Kornelyuk said "mean" peers make students her age dislike school. A classmate recently teased her friend about her acne treatment, and "it hurt her feelings and she just wanted to go home," Kornelyuk said. The boy also teases Kornelyuk.

"If he makes fun of me or my friend, we start talking about it and try to defend each other, and we fall behind in our work," she said, adding that she likes her other classes.

Research from the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago shows missing school is one of the biggest predictors of freshmen failure.

"The key factor for passing classes and even getting high grades in the freshmen year ends up being course attendance," said Elaine Allensworth, co-director of statistical analysis at the consortium. "If students stop coming to their classes, their grades fall."

To reduce failures, Center Line High School staff this year began sending home progress reports every three weeks instead of every six weeks and required freshmen to take an additional academic class where they are tutored once a week. Freshmen are also linked with older peer mentors.

Teachers and administrators also have to contend with a problem that starts long before students reach ninth grade.

Tales -- some true, some legend -- of "Freshmen Fridays," when ninth-graders are stuffed in lockers, tossed in garbage cans or have their faces dunked in toilets, instill a fear of high school in some ninth-graders.

Tales of 'Freshmen Fridays'

When Rachael Rassel was a freshman, seniors at Brighton High, wearing shirts emblazoned with the words "Freshmen Friday" threw pudding cups and other food at freshmen while screaming offensive statements at them.

"I think part of it was that when they were freshmen, the seniors yelled at them, so the seniors felt it was their right, kind of like, 'We got picked on so we're going to pick on you,' " said Rassel, 17, who is now a senior.

"For kids who didn't know about it, it might've made them feel bad about themselves and less welcome at school."

Administrators punished the offenders and instituted incentives, like the promise of an off-campus lunch day for seniors with good behavior. Brighton seniors like Rachael and Kylie O'Brien, 17, now mentor freshmen and organized an orientation for them.

Katelyn Scott, 14, said she appreciated the orientation.

"They showed you around and showed you to your lockers. I had no idea where I was going around the school so I think it really helped me."

At a pep assembly Oct. 12, freshmen and other grades faced off against each other in tug of war and other games. No negative incidents were reported and seniors won their off-campus lunch date.

Despite tougher classes, rumors of hazing and other challenges, not all students fear freshman year.

Cas Wanczyk, 14, of Fowlerville High plays soccer and runs cross country, while maintaining mostly A's.

"I was really excited this summer to be moving up," Wanczyk said.

"There are a lot more opportunities available, and I'm finally playing high school sports."

You can reach Jennifer Mrozowski at (313) 222-2269 or jmrozowski@detnews.com.