But now she’s at the high school daily and will focus her time on academics, taking honors English, math, science and honors social studies courses as well as Spanish and a food and nutrition class as electives. She’ll also sing in the chorus and play the viola in the orchestra. Ampel, a Monroe resident, will add into that mix playing on the school’s junior varsity volleyball team.

“Some of the work I feel will be hard,” said Ampel, who turns 14 in October. “I’ll have to work really hard to get everything done. Social studies will be tough.”

Her day began at 5:30 a.m. (yes, she did sleep well) to get ready for her 6:37 a.m. bus pick-up (yes, it was slightly late.) Ampel said she had felt ready, having previously gotten her binders ready, completed reading her global history book as part of required summer reading and, of course, choosing the right outfit to wear for that first day.

And on Wednesday, she didn’t get home until after dinner because there was volleyball game against Washingtonville High School. Late arrivals home will be the norm for a while because if there’s no volleyball game, there are always practice sessions.

Ampel felt going to high school was a rite of passage for both her and her parents.

“It’s such a huge step in life,” she said. “This is a really big school and this will help me to do other things when I’m older. It’s the last part of childhood, I guess. For my parents, I think they’re sad I’m growing up, but happy that I’m here.”

High School Principal Aldo Fillipone was pleased with opening day, noting he didn’t see any freshmen having problems navigating their way around the building, with the small exception of hard-to-locate classrooms. He felt they were well-prepared for their transition to a new building and new experiences.

“My comment to a couple of individuals this morning was that it didn’t feel like the first day of school, it felt like they’ve been here for months,” said Fillipone as he made his customary way around the caféteria greeting students during the early fourth period lunch time. “We’ve had an orientation for freshmen last February and just last week. With those and our mentoring program, I can see that has had a very positive impact on this morning. It feels so good this morning. I feel very positive about this year.”

Fillipone’s advice to freshman was quite simple. “I told them at orientation and I will continue to tell them, ‘Every staff member in the building is here for you,’” he said. “‘You have to tell us what you need and what we can do for you.’”

Ampel had her own advice, too.

“Everybody’s going to be nervous,” she said. “But after a while, it will go away. Don’t worry, you have plenty of time between classes to get where you need to be. Don’t procrastinate with your work, I’ve learned. If your teachers give you homework at the beginning of the week, instead of waiting until the end of the week, do it right away. And, avoid the main staircase.”

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