Looking back on his first year at La Salle, freshman River Nichols feels it has been profoundly positive.

“It’s been pretty lit, you know,” Nichols said. “Teachers are understanding and I feel well accepted into this community.” 

Nichols attributes his amazing year to his thriving social life. At La Salle, “you can just join a hack circle, you can just talk with your friends, [it’s] super nice,” he said. 

Having gone to a larger school before La Salle, the smaller community at La Salle was initially very new to Nichols, but he views this as yet another upside. “It’s a small school, so everybody knows everybody, and you know, it’s just a great social life,” Nichols said.

The social aspect of La Salle benefited him during class as well as out of class. “It’s pretty chill,” Nichols said. “I got a lot of classes with my friends, the teachers are super nice, and it’s really adding to a positive learning environment,” he said.

Along with the positive social changes, Nichols’ experience at La Salle has been counterbalanced by the increase in academic rigor. “It’s a lot harder academically, it’s a lot more positive socially,” he said.

For Nichols, what stands out among the generally more difficult classes is English. “I’m not good at English, that’s my biggest challenge here, everything else is not as hard,” Nichols said. 

While Nichols’ foundation was lacking in middle school, he found that the teachers at La Salle were more than happy to assist him in English. “Mr. Larson is a great teacher,” he said. “It’s super hard, but his high standard is why I’m getting better at English.” 

But in Nichols’ eyes, what’s most important is to persevere. “I’m just trying to put on that grind, just keep working,” Nichols said. “Just keep doing and trying my best, you know, work a little bit harder than everybody else because I’m just not as good at it.”

Despite the difficulty, some classes stand out to Nichols as being really enjoyable. “Catholic Christianity is up there, super fun,” Nichols said. “It’s a good class, I’m learning a lot, and I didn’t learn about the Bible before.” He also likes his Intro to Design and Thinking Tools class because he enjoys being able to build things in it.

Nichols also greatly enjoys the extracurricular activities he participates in. “[The soccer team] is super fun, and a great connection with the boys,” Nichols said. “We had a pretty good season.”

Aside from sports, Nichols also enjoys many other outdoor activities. “I like to get outdoors whether it’s playing a sport or riding my bike, whatever it is, I’m just outside,” said Nichols.

When it comes to his plans for next year, Nichols still sees room for improvement. “I’d probably have a little bit better of a plan going into the school year on how I can do the best in school,” Nichols said. “I guess just more time doing my homework, maybe a calendar so I just know what I’m doing when I’m doing it.” 

But Nichols’ goals are not just limited to academics. “I want to grow better at playing the sports I’m playing,” Nichols said. “I’ll try to play over the summer so I can get better, so I can make a better team, and just get better overall.”

But more than anything, Nichols is ready for the summer. “It’s come at a great time,” Nichols said. “I feel ecstatic.”