For freshman Brandon Riehl, transitioning from eighth grade to high school was easy.

“I know a lot of the people [at La Salle],” Riehl said. “Because I’ve had two sisters that have went here and go here. And then I came from Christ the King, so basically all my friends from there are here.”

Riehl has had an impressive year so far, beginning the year by testing into Spanish 2 and Honors Geometry. With clubs, sports, and higher level classes, Riehl has still maintained a 4.0 GPA both semesters. Riehl is also a part of the Asian Pacific Islander club, and he is playing lacrosse for the first time this year.

Despite thriving academically so far, Riehl said that it has been a hectic year. Testing into higher level classes, he has had to learn how to manage time as well as a heavy workload. “Second semester, it’s a lot harder than the first one,” Riehl said. “There is a lot of stuff going on, and you have to manage your time. Make sure you get all your homework assignments in on time, [and] finish projects.”

Riehl’s two favorite classes this year have been Honors Geometry and Physics. He said that Honors Geometry in particular “is a lot of fun because we have this concept called the flipped classroom, which is where we take notes at home and do problems during class so that our teacher can help us.”

This is Riehl’s first year playing lacrosse and first time playing a sport for La Salle. “It’s like a new sport, and I like trying new things,” Riehl said. “I like my teammates, [and] my coaches. It’s a good mix of fun as well as putting in hard work and time.”

“One of the biggest things [at La Salle] that I am excited for is Journey,” Riehl said. “I like the idea that it is a surprise and you don’t know what you do during the retreat. Also, when everyone comes back from it they seem to [have] changed for the better.”

Riehl’s favorite high school memory so far has been going to the varsity football games. “It is a good time to get to know everyone and just have some fun,” he said.

Looking ahead to the rest of his time at La Salle, Riehl said that he is looking forward “to the new lifelong friends that I am going to make.”