While most freshmen are nervous coming into high school, but they are nervous to branch out and get involved in school activities, this scenario wasn’t the case for freshman, Ashley Dyer. 

“Although coming to high school on day one made me so nervous, it didn’t take me too long to realize that it’s not that bad. At first, it’s the nerves of everything being new and the school being so big, but now not only am I used to the size, but high school has only done good things for me so far,” Dyer said.

Dyer is a part of the freshman volleyball team and she absolutely loves it.

“My entire team is so much fun and we do a lot of team bonding. Everyone gets along so well and it only makes me not able to wait for soccer season even more!”

Not only is Dyer involved in sports, but she is also a part of Wolf Pack.

“Being a part of activities so far has only made me like high school even more. It gives me a great chance to meet new people and get closer with my friends who went to different middle schools,” Dyer said.

Dyer isn’t the only Dyer at Niles West though. She has a sister, senior Kaylie Dyer and in times of need, she has always been there to cheer Dyer on.

“Having Kaylie at Niles West with me has helped me so much. Before school started she made sure to show me her classes and when I was paired up with a random locker partner, Kaylie let me move into her locker with her so now we share one. It’s nice because she’s a senior and I’m a freshman. Having her here too just makes everything so much easier,” Dyer said.

Dyer is extremely excited for her very first pep assembly at Niles West and although she doesn’t know what to expect, she can’t help but look forward to them all.

“I’ve always had a lot of school spirit and from what I hear, pep assemblies consist of a lot of school spirit so I’m really looking forward to my first one. It sounds like lot of fun,” Dyer stated.

Looking back, Dyer knows that Lincoln Hall has prepared her for Niles West.

“I feel like Lincoln Hall prepared me for high school to an extent. At the end of 8th grade, our teachers gave us ‘final exams’ to prepare us for the real final exams in high school. It was really nice to get that right at the end of our 8th grade year so my eighth grade class could know a little bit of what to expect when finals do come around this winter,” Dyer said.

Dyer is really looking forward to the rest of her freshman year and she’s ready to try and do some great things and make a lot of memories.

“People always say that high school is either the best four years or the worst four years of your life, so I think it’s really important to try and make every second count,” Dyer said.