Every year, a group of 11 and 12 year olds step onto the corner of Wolf River Boulevard and Houston Levee and begin a new stage of their life: middle school.

The Gryphon Gazette sat down with three sixth graders to see how the transition from the Germantown and Memphis Campuses are going with new classes, schedules, food and a larger campus.

A new aspect that the sixth graders like is the later start time.

“Last year I used to have to wake up at 6:00 a.m. to get my brother here, and then I had to go to the Memphis Campus,” sixth grader Dakota Partee, brother of sophomore Timber King, said. “But now it’s easier because we can wake up at the same time and get to school together.”

Another thing that they like is the new lunch menu.

“We get more variety,” Partee said. “You don’t have to eat that exact thing that they put on the plate.” These sixth graders mentioned that they love the new variety of pizza and delicious hot wings that Flik offers.

Sixth graders are also enjoying the size of the Collierville Campus.

“This campus is so much bigger and we have a lot of land,” sixth grader Angelina David said.

“I love how the campus is so big and has all of the nature and woods,” sixth grader Erica Afenya agreed. “I think it’s really cool.”

With all these new adjustments, there also comes some new struggles. For example, getting to know new people can be difficult.

“It’s kind of like a new school,” Afenya said. “There are new people and a new environment, and that’s hard.”

This new environment leads to larger class sizes since students from both the Memphis and Germantown Campus’ combine in sixth grader. Partee’s class size at the Memphis Campus totalled a mere 15 students. Now, their class has 68 students.

“I’m used to having small groups,” Partee said, “and now it’s way bigger.”

Sixth graders coming to a new campus also have to encounter new teachers and leave their old ones behind at the Memphis and Germantown campuses.

“I miss some of the faculty there because there are some teachers that you get attached to in second grade or first grade,” David said,  “and now you are on a totally different campus.”  David also loves her new teachers at the Collierville Campus however.

The sixth grade has also been met with the challenge of attending wellness classes since they have to change in and out of their clothes yet only have a short period of time to get to class.

“There are only 4 minutes to get your stuff and go to the next class,” David said. “That’s been really hard.”

The sixth graders are looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying what the Collierville Campus has to offer the rest of the school year.