The transition from sixth to seventh grade is traumatic for some students.

“It’s going to be hard,” seventh-grader Johnathan Chandler said.

Seventh- and eighth-grade students were welcomed Friday night into Warren Central Junior High at their back-to-school open house.

More than the new building, some students were worried about changing classes seven times a day. Some of the children have changed classes during the day in sixth grade, but for others it will be a completely new experience.

However, they have little to fear because the classes stick together all day and the teachers will walk them to their next classroom. They don’t have to worry about getting supplies and books out of their lockers because they won’t use lockers.

“I just have to transition from each one,” seventh-grader William Gordon said. “I might get lost.”

Parents and students roamed the halls of the two-story building trying to locate classrooms and teachers while meeting a few friends along the way.

“Our whole goal is for them to be successful, and it’s all about the students,” teacher Mikki Ihenfeldt said.

The goal of the open house was to get the students acclimated to the building so they could find where their homeroom is and meet all their teachers.

The seventh-grade classes are downstairs while eight-grade classes are upstairs.

“I just feels different,” Gordon said. “I get to meet new people.”

Students will get to make some new friends in seventh grade with so many schools combining into the junior high. All of the area elementary and intermediate schools split into two junior high schools once students reach seventh grade. Gordon is now going to be riding the school bus, but it’s not an experience he is looking forward to having.

Some students were concerned about the change of going from being the oldest students in their elementary and intermediate school to being the youngest in junior high.

Ihlenfeldt said there is nothing to worry about. She said since the only students in the school are just a grade apart they don’t have much reason to treat each other differently.

“Because there’s only two grade levels here, seventh and eighth, so they kind of blend in,” Ihenfeldt said.

The children’s quite demeanors spoke more of their apprehension toward the new experience than their words. Junior high brings about all kinds of changes with no more recess and different start and end times to their day.

“I use to have recess, I don’t know if we’re going to have recess in seventh grade,” Gordon said.

Student Ronde Rozier said he is looking forward to learning.

Chandler and Tyler Sanders said they both plan to work to make good grades this year.