The first day of school is overwhelmingly nerve-wracking and chaotic thanks to one leading factor: the introduction of new classes. A new teacher, new subject, new seating chart. At least it only happens once a year, right? Wrong. A good number of North Atlanta Students take semester-long classes, which means when time comes January 6, it’s time to undergo that awkward “first introduction” all over again. Some students are reluctant to leave behind the comfortable familiarity of their first semester class. Others are eager to embrace new subjects. The question remains: What are North Atlanta students’ opinions on the matter?
Many students at NAHS take one math class a year, stepping into the classroom every other A or B-day. When you have math scheduled every single day, however, the timeline shoots forwards. Ninth grader Allison Dixon recently finished Geometry, and at the start of 2026, she officially began learning Algebra 2, a subject she’s been eagerly awaiting since the start of freshman year. Despite being excited to finally leave behind the angles and shapes of Geometry, suddenly getting thrown into a new section of math is disorienting, as some of Dixon’s other classes are still continuing units from the previous semester. “I’m definitely ready for Algebra 2 this semester,” Dixon said. “Even though I got whiplash switching over.”
For others, it’s not just a switch in topic of a subject. It’s an exchange of subjects entirely. Sophomore Simone Davy was enrolled in Rec Games last semester, where each day was filled with warm-ups and cardio walks. Come semester 2, however, she found herself walking not to the gym, but to a classroom on the fifth floor—SAT Prep. Instead of playing ultimate frisbee or participating in stretches, she found herself working through Khan Academy and PSAT problems. The shift from exercise for the body to exercise for the brain was surprisingly not very jarring, and Davy settled into her new class with ease. “I miss Rec Games, but SAT Prep isn’t that bad,” Davy said. “A lot of the same people are in it, so it doesn’t really feel all that different.”
Whether switching between core classes or electives, jumping from one class to another over holiday break can certainly be disrupting. Some students miss their previous classes, while others are prepared to jump headfirst into the new units they’ll be learning in the second semester. Fortunately, the students of North Atlanta are excellent at adapting to almost any scenario, and it takes more than a swapped subject to change that.
