It's a big step: entering high school for the first time, becoming part of a bigger, more complex, more adult environment.

To help ease the transition for incoming freshmen, Somerville High School teachers Wednesday night introduced new students to the school's intricate hallways and unusual locker latches. They also spoke about expectations teachers have of students as they enter high school.

Science teacher Karen Woods talked to a cluster of students and their families in the cafeteria about the importance of coming to class, doing all the homework and participating in the science fair.

After orientation ended, former Kennedy School student Rafael Lima said that touring the classrooms and observing the historical photographs in the halls gave him “a taste of what high school would be like.”

Lima, 14, said he looks forward to learning guitar, studying Portuguese and enrolling in the automotive technology workshop in the school’s Center for Career and Technical Education.

Waiting in line to ask Ms. Woods a question, Emily Kate O’Brien said that coming to orientation “helped a lot.” O’Brien, 14, transferred from the International School of Boston, where she became bilingual in English and French, because she wanted to play track and soccer and have more classmates.

Standing nearby with her mother and older sister, Laurie Salvato-Sousa, also 14, said that while she still can’t unlock her locker, discovering where her classes would be held was “really helpful.” The former Winter Hill Community School student said she’s put off shopping for supplies and is excited about taking piano lessons through the school’s music department.

School starts Wednesday, Sept. 7 for Somerville students in grades one through 12.