Is transferring to a new school stressful, or a walk in the park? Do new students think the school is a good environment for them to be in, or that their old school was better? What is their outlook?

    Nicole is a 13-year-old eighth grader who has been in Watertown Public Schools for four years. She came from Armenian Sisters’ Academy, a private school in lexington, where she had been in for nine years. Nicole is a big fan of Watertown Middle School, but wishes some things were different.

    “It should start a bit later, since we have to stay up doing tons of homework the night before,” she said.

    The dress code is always a topic. At ASA, she said, “I had to wear a uniform, but here I have the ability to wear pretty much whatever I want.”

    Still, Nicole thinks WMS should allow students more freedom.

    “Especially the policy for shorts, since it’s hard finding longer shorts,” she said.

    Overall, she said, she finds WMS is “a great place to learn, the environment, people, and how everything is organized is a huge part of it.

    “Most people might get bored all day in the house, so it’s good we don’t have to stay at home all day,” she said. “Learning and studying with your friends is also a great thing.”

    Ani  has been in  Watertown Public Schools  for three years, and also came from Armenian Sisters’ Academy, which she had been in for six years.

    Although Nicole likes have bigger class sizes, Ani said they were too big for her.

    Ani said she likes WMS, but she’s not the biggest fan. There’s other negatives.

    “Waking up early and having to do so much work is pretty difficult,” she said. “School has it’s ups and down. My favorite part is when it’s over, so I can relax and take a break for a while.

    “It would be great if we could make a few changes, like having recess. I could spend more time being energetic, and take a break from school work.

    “We have to do so much work. I hate getting homework.”

    Ani said she likes having more freedom but she said the best thing about WMS is, by far, “how the teachers make our learning environment as good as possible, and enrichment classes also will help you later on in life.”

–Dec. 5, 2015–