ASPEN — The Class of 2021 is getting ready to move on from Aspen Middle School to Aspen High School. They need to know how to get around and what to expect to get through freshman year.

The first two numbers are helpful when looking for a classroom. If the first two numbers are 11, then your class will be on the main floor. If the first two numbers are 12, then your class will be on the top floor. Signs are posted showing which classes are which way, but there are still some confusing areas: the science and language area. You will most likely go around the loop a few times before finally getting the hang of where your class is, but over the year it will become quite easy.

Standing in front of the red stairs causes a traffic jam. If you are talking to other people, or trying to figure out where to go, holding up movement on the red stairs is not helpful. It happens all the time and actually becomes quite annoying, especially on the first day. So, if you need to figure out where to go, or want to talk to friends, try to do it during the five minute passing periods.

There are two areas for lunch. One is on the lower level and serves food only during lunch, and the second is on the main floor and serves snacks and food throughout the day. The lower level serves anywhere from salads and pizza bagels to pasta and warm sandwiches. They also serve a variety of chips and drinks. The main level lunch offers two places, hot lunch and the café. The hot lunch changes every day. The café serves snacks and food all day, and this includes yogurts, chips, drinks, salads, fruit, bars, and much more. To pay for food bought anywhere in the school, you can use your account number or cash.

To go to a counselor, you need to know what you want help for; this is because there are multiple counselors for different things. If you want to talk about college and want to know the plan, go to the college counseling area. If you want to change your schedule or have any problems (including with teachers, other students, home, etc.) talk to the counselor assigned to you. The counselor assigned to you will be your counselor for your four years at the high school.

The library is open throughout the school day. During lunch, people tend to go in to do homework or study, and they bring food as well as drinks. People also spend their free periods inside the library. The library offers plenty of book genres and the librarian is happy to help find whatever book you are looking for. It does close soon after school is let out, but opens slightly before school.

There are a few rules and things to know at the high school. “The Boat” is for the seniors and only the seniors are supposed to sit there. “The Boat” is the large, wooden, bench structure that is in the main floor cafeteria. The freshman tend to sit on the other side of the cafeteria away from “The Boat” across the “Yellow Brick Road.”

“Bottle dropping” is something that happens to a small amount of kids, but many kids know about it. What happens during “bottle dropping,” is that someone will take a glass bottle and drop it close to you making it look like you were the one to drop it. It is not a big deal for something like this to happen, but it can be quite humiliating, and you will have to wait and clean it up. Another thing to be careful of is the red stairs. Falling down them is quite common and is painful as well as embarrassing, especially when you are carrying something and it goes everywhere.

There are more things to know to prepare you for highschool, but those you will just have to learn on your own. Welcome to the high school class of 2021.