The number of Freshman Focuses — “classes” during tutorials designed to ease the transition for freshmen into high school — has been cut back to four total meetings this year, instead of the 11 last year’s freshmen had.

In Freshman Focus, Link Crew leaders offer tips for success, while teachers monitor the freshmen’s grades.

The administration scaled back the number of meeting after receiving feedback from the Class of 2017, the first class to have an increased number of Freshman Focus meetings.

“We got some good data that showed that while [Freshman Focus] was a good thing, it may not have had a big enough impact as we had hoped,” principal Paul Robinson said. “We did a survey with [last year’s freshmen], and they said that they felt that they needed it in the beginning but not throughout the year.”

Despite the reduction of Freshman Focuses this year, some students still feel that having to attend the tutorial-classes after the first two weeks of school is unnecessary.

“The students and Link leaders should instead find each other during school and talk if they need help and not have to meet in a classroom during tutorial,” freshman Robert Scott said. “It did help to just talk to [my] Link leaders, but having to [meet] frequently is just not effective.”

Nevertheless, some freshmen have enjoyed Freshman Focuses and look forward to meeting with their Link leaders in the future.

“I like that Freshmen Focus is a great way to regroup at the beginning of the year,” freshman Dean Stratakos said. “All of the students who are new at this school can share positive experiences or discuss issues that they have come across in a friendly environment.”