With summer 2018 coming to an end and the 2018-2019 school year just around the corner, students, teachers, and all other staff members everywhere are beginning to feel the Sunday blues of summer: the August blues. Although all students of all grades are feeling the blues, freshman especially may be in their feelings, prone to fear as they embark on a confusing new journey. To help soothe their sadness and shake their nerves, Cherry Hill High School East has arranged for freshman tours.

These tours are taking place all throughout the end of August, the last three Wednesdays to be exact. August 15th, 22nd, and 29th. Tour hours are from 6:00 to 8:00. The tours are set at half hour intervals. Each tour is led by upperclassmen from members of the Student Government Association (SGA) and members of Cherry Hill East’s largest community service club, Interact Club. Each tour has one member of SGA and two or three members of Interact Club.

Student body president, Lucas Semon (‘19), and study body vice president, Jake Brooks (‘20), each led tours on Wednesday, August 15th. Two tours took place at once, one led by Semon and one led by Brooks. Together the upperclassmen guided groups of approximately 15 freshman each around the halls of East.

The tour guides showed them not only the hallways and classrooms but also the ropes of the school such as the “up stairs” and the “down stairs” explaining that these stair rules are strictly enforced an highly suggested to go down and up the appropriate stairwells.

Upperclassmen also gave the freshman some scholarly advice on which hallways are the most crowded and alternate routes to avoid those halls. Throughout the tours and at the end of the tours the guides asked their freshman tour groups if they had any questions. This question was most often answered with blank eyes and shaking heads, no answering a question with a question. As the freshman were still not completely at ease they ended each tour with their best how to survive high school hacks. This advice ranged from the old but good “be yourself” to sharing personal experiences, in order to connect with the freshman and let them know that they’re not alone in this school. The freshman did seem to connect with the upperclassmen and left the school with smiles of relief, whether because they feel more comfortable in the school or simply because they were happy to leave for the day.