On Monday morning, Ross Walker took his first tentative steps onto the Del Campo High School campus as a student.

He was one of thousands of Sacramento-area freshmen experiencing the nerve-wracking rite of passage into high school this month.

Del Campo is not unfamiliar territory for him – three siblings have attended the high school. His mother, always an active parent on the campus, is the PTA president.

But this year he's a Cougar.

"It feels sort of weird," said Walker, who went to a middle school of 850 students.

This week Walker, 14, joined the tide of 2,000 students swarming through the campus on the first day of school. They jockeyed for position around tables to pick up final schedules.

Ross was hoping there weren't many changes. He and some friends visited the campus last week for a dry run of sorts – looking for their classrooms, locating the bathrooms and generally getting the lay of the land.

He glanced at the sheet of orange paper: Only one teacher had been changed. His friend Shaina Dultz didn't have such luck. The 14-year-old found herself sent first to the office and then from room to room, as she tried to locate a class that had been moved.

"I got lost," said Dultz, who attended a small middle school with about 650 students. "But, I figured it out."

Alex Richardson, a freshman at Folsom High School, called his first day of high school "intense" and "a little nerve-wracking." He said: "We went from being the big tough guys to the bottom of the food chain."

Traversing larger campuses with more students, changing classes, tackling more difficult course work and fitting in among older peers are among the things that cause freshmen stress.

That's exacerbated by concerns about body changes and interaction with the opposite sex, said Sacramento psychologist Trudy Helmlinger.

Then, there is the fear of being tormented by older, bigger students. Richardson said he's heard a lot about Freshman Friday – an unauthorized day on some campuses on which freshmen are hazed by upperclassmen.

"Last year I heard that some people threw water balloons and some people were thrown in the dumpster and roughed around," Richardson said.

He said that teachers told the new students not to worry about Freshman Friday, because those who take part will be disciplined. Most local school districts have strict policies against bullying.

Helmlinger said the fear of abuse goes beyond Freshman Friday. "Kids I see are really afraid of the gangs in school," she said.

Some of her patients have changed schools because of this fear, she said.

The presence of police on campus also can be disconcerting to students, underlining their suspicion that high school is dangerous.

Finally, there is the fear of academic failure.

"I kind of feel nervous taking all honors classes," said Andrea Maher, 14, who attends Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove. "It's going to be hard this year."

Helmlinger said parents can help students by signing them up for a sports program, club or church group – anything that offers a "foundation" or "structure."

She suggests counseling if students are extremely anxious.

Parents should watch for changes in behavior – moodiness or failure to complete schoolwork. Teens "don't say 'Gee I'm really depressed,' " Helmlinger said.

She encourages parents to address their children's concerns. "It's like going into another culture," Helmlinger said. "They (the older kids) speak a different language."

Folsom's Richardson has some advice of his own. "Get on your teacher's good side," he said. "A lot of high school teachers are a lot more strict. You don't want to be on their bad side the first week of school.

"My strategy is to be quiet the first week. If they don't know your name, that's a plus."

He also recommends that freshman show up the first day prepared. "Have all your stuff ready," Richardson said.

Students should attend an orientation tour at their high school or, if that's not possible, go to the campus a day or two in advance to find their classes, Richardson said. "Go to the campus and check it out," he said.

Sydney Walker took her son, Ross, and his friend, Shaina, to a few Del Campo football games last season to assuage some of their fear about entering high school and to build school spirit.

"It's a huge transition. They come in at 14 and they leave as adults," said Cheryl Dultz, Shaina's mom.

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