High schools across America are filled with students eight Wednesday mornings a semester, yet the halls of Cambridge are empty.

There are students at the school, but they are mostly freshmen in either the auditorium, gym or their study halls. This program, designed to help freshmen transition to high school, is called GROWL.

Freshmen have differed in opinion about whether the program will actually help them in the long run.

“Some students didn’t really think the idea of GROWL would really affect how they transition into high school,” said freshman Kiplin Polk.

Other students have said that they believe it will help them better adjust to high school, and better navigate whatever follows in life.

“GROWL helps you move through what’s going to come after high school,” said Inglish Fillbern.

An important part of GROWL has been students being given the opportunity to choose between having a study hall, or an intramural sport for half of the time spent during GROWL.

Some freshmen have come to believe that the study hall during GROWL will give them some more time to complete assignments.

“I just like the idea of the long study hall to help catch up on homework, so I can actually sleep at night,” said freshman Kat Pattillo.

An issue that has arisen from GROWL is that some freshmen were given either a study hall, sport or vice versa, even when it wasn’t of their interest.

“I didn’t ask for a sport, and they gave me a sport,” said freshman Phillip Michael Collins.

Despite this, many freshmen have come to believe that the program’s benefits have outweighed its negatives.

One of these such benefits has been the extra time to socialize, which is something that students don’t get much of during the school day.

“I get to talk with my friends that I don’t get to see,” said freshman Jackson Morley about GROWL.

Students only get 30 minutes to about an hour each day to talk to their friends at lunch. Although lunch holds time to socialize daily, many students have different lunch periods than their friends and aren’t able to see them as often.

Another one of GROWL’s benefit has been the school being mostly comprised of other freshmen in the morning.

This, in turn, has made it easier not only to find old friends but new ones as well. However, not all freshmen have felt that GROWL has helped them to make friends.

“I’ll meet them in classes,” said Polk.

Some freshmen have said that another negative of the program has been the fact that upperclassmen are given more time for work at home, compared to themselves.

This, in turn, has upset many of these freshmen.

“Everyone gets to come in later, and I have to come in early,” said freshman Jackson Dickman. “I want to sleep in like other grades.”

Several sophomores and upperclassmen have said that coming in later has been beneficial for them.

“I like it because it gives you more sleep, and then you feel more productive for the school day,” said sophomore Natalie Petersen.

Although some freshmen have said that they are disappointed at the fact that that they don’t enjoy the same benefits as sophomores and upperclassmen, several have said they’re excited at the prospect of getting to sleep later next year.

Another key feature of GROWL has been that it incorporates the CLAWS Academy, which features guest speakers covering serious topics, such as stress management and four-year planning. These lessons can be applicable to college and even the workforce later on.

“I need help with stress management, so I’m looking forward to those lectures,” said freshman Maggie Smith.

Furthermore, GROWL has provided teachers with time to collaborate. Many teachers teach five periods, with only one period for planning.

GROWL will give these teachers two and a half more hours to plan with each session.

“For me, it does increase planning time, but more importantly, it increases collaboration time,” said Social Studies teacher Patricia Mann. “It’s a great time to share and learn from my fellow teachers.”

At the end of the day, (although not everyone agrees), some seem to believe that GROWL has fulfilled its intended purpose.

“I think it’s a good way to help us get adjusted from middle to high school,” said freshman Michael DiPietro.