At the Park

Fresh-ie Advice

Jai´Lynn Phillips, Social Media Editor

September 17, 2025

Freshman sitting in the stands of their first pep rally at Park.

A new year means a new class of freshman starting from scratch and learning the ropes of our building and culture.

Mr. Doyle is one of our Assistant Principals, the Career & Technical Director, and is in charge of the students A-G. He would like to see the freshmen get involved as much as they can, but the number one focus should be on academics.

“I think getting your work done like if you have homework or something after school just get it done as possible instead of doing it the next day. I think it’s really big especially for younger students,” said Mr.Doyle.

The biggest tips for the incoming freshman is always be on time with your work, get to class on time; stay in small groups; do not fall for the wrong crowd. Managing your time is very important in high school. As a freshman you have to work hard to keep up your grades and don’t fall behind. Take your classes seriously.

“Just always keep up your grades, be on time, always try your best no matter what you’re going through,” said Sophie Ewers, junior.

Mr. Leggett is an Assistant Principal as well. Mr Leggett watches over attendance and discipline with students P-Z. He believes that grades are important but the biggest life lesson is time management.

“As soon as I get home from school, I would look at what homework I have to do. I would look at the practice schedules, after school activities. Just managing your time is super important, especially as a freshman incoming into high school. All you have to do is manage your time. The advice I would give to the new freshman is to get involved super early, there’s clubs, speech and debate or even a sport team. There’s so many opportunities for you. It’s super important to get involved in high school as a freshman,” said Mr. Leggett.

Wheeling Park has a bunch of clubs they can try them out on club weeks. There will be a Club Blow-Up for freshman on September 19th during the school day in the gym where ninth-graders can learn about clubs and meet students involved.

Many upperclassmen are welcoming and want new students to experience the Park. Upperclassmen also have some advice to be the example they wish to see in freshman.

“Make sure you look good as an upperclassman. They will always look up to you. Help them around the school; help them get into clubs,” said Maria Marino, junior.

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About the Contributors

Jai´Lynn Phillips, Social Media Editor

JaiLynn is a junior at Wheeling Park High School. She is a first year social media editor for The Park Press She has been writing on The Park Press for two years. She has been doing All Star Cheer for ICE for four years in Washington, PA. Her favorite things are hitting zero deductions at cheer competitions to the help of hitting zero thanks to her sweet coach for trying her hardest to make her teams dream big. She loves writing things, her favorite thing to do with the newspaper is getting to know what’s going on around the school. She has been writing since the 7th grade from Warwood and she really enjoys it.

Jessamine Schmidt, Copy Editor

Jessamine Schmidt is a copy editor for the Park Press, alongside being seen taking photos for the Park Press. She also enjoys her time on the golf course as she is a member of the Wheeling Park High School Girls’ golf team, but swinging clubs isn’t all she does. She is also a member of the speech and debate team here at Park. Despite being new to the scene, she intends to succeed on the team for her final year of high school. In the Park Press, besides snapping pictures of students in the moment, you can find her writing articles primarily community-based, from things to do to small businesses. Did we mention she’s a senior? After High School, she is looking into majoring in English and or History alongside photography. From AP classes to golf matches, she is always around. Away from school, she enjoys spending time with her friends, taking pictures with her camera, working at her job, and doing her makeup.