Freshman Joey Zavell thought he knew about high school since his sister, senior Anna Zavell, was already three years ahead of him. He branched off to do things he was interesting in, whether it was a sport or a particular subject.

“This year was really good; it was a little more than I expected,” Zavell said.

Even though he hasn’t been to many school events, Zavell found different interests in a few things Niles West had to offer. He took an autos class here at West, and discovered he really liked working with cars. Taking aparts engines and learning the mechanics is what first interested Zavell.

“I like the hands-on experience the class has to offer and learning how to fix things when things break,” Zavell said.

Aside from working on car parts in class, Zavell also tried out for the freshman volleyball team. He played at his middle school, Fairview South, last year and made the freshmen boys A team this year. Learning to work together with a group of boys just like him who all shared the same passion, Zavell hopes to continue his love for volleyball next year as well.

“I like working with the coaches and the players on the team. I’m excited to play on a more competitive level this year,” Zavell said.

With a lot on his plate, Zavell learned that high school is at a much faster pace and staying on top of things is essential.

“One piece of advice I would say to incoming freshmen is to do homework on time. It’s something I wished I did more this year,” Zavell said.