Making new friends: being the new kid at school can be scary. Here are ways to fit in--and to help others fit in.

Last September, like millions of kids in the United States, Mario Fernandez began another school year. For the sixth-grader, however, his first day was no ordinary event--he was the new kid in school.

"I didn't know anyone," says Mario, who attends the United Nations International School (UNIS) in New York City. "I was nervous. It was noisy. I thought, 'This place is so big.' I took a wrong turn and got lost."

Navigating through a maze of unfamiliar hallways is just the first of many challenges new kids like Mario experience. Pile on a sea of strange faces and a schedule of demanding classes, and one thing is certain: Being a "new kid" can be rough.

Feeling Lonely

By the end of day one, Mario had found his way around UNIS. But two weeks into the school year, he admits, he was still lonely. That didn't last long, thanks to the kindness of one of his new classmates.

"This kid Richie came up to me and asked if I wanted to go downstairs to the media lab, where you can play computer games," says Mario, who moved to New York City from Geneva, Switzerland, just two months before school started. "He was really nice to me. It felt good."

New classmates aren't always so welcoming. Marbin Ramos, 13, learned that when he and his family moved from the Bronx, New York, to Akron, Ohio, to escape their rough neighborhood.

"There are only one boy and one girl who are nice to me," says Marbin, a student at Findley Academy. "Some of the kids I don't like because they keep making fun of how I speak. They mimic me because I was in New York a long time. They say, 'Why do you speak like that?' I miss my old friends."

At a time when they want so desperately to fit in, new kids often struggle to adapt to their new surroundings.

"They feel like everyone is looking at them," says Erika Karres, a teen expert and author of Mean Chicks, Cliques, and Dirty Tricks. "They think, 'I'm an outsider. I don't fit in. They're going to make fun of my accent, my clothes.' It all rushes in. It can be overwhelming. It can be like a tornado."

Bing Jing Zhou's first days in her new school were indeed stormy. She and her siblings had moved from China to join their mother, a seamstress in a New York City factory. Bing Jing arrived at school not speaking a word of English.

"When I went to class, it was so scary because everyone spoke English except for me," says the 14-year-old, a student at Manhattan Academy of Technology at Public School 126. "Kids would ask me questions, but I didn't know how to answer them, so they didn't talk to me."

Eventually, Bing Jing made friends with other students from foreign countries, whom she met in a special English class.

Mastering English wasn't a problem for Mario, who speaks four languages. Still, he says he wondered at first if he would measure up in the classroom.

"I didn't know what the other kids knew," he told JS. "I was afraid I was going to be behind because in my old school, they didn't teach the same things."

Reaching Out

While most kids worry about such things as homework and tests, a new kid's list of concerns stretches far longer. Keep that in mind when you see an unfamiliar face in class, says Karres.

"Picture yourself being a new kid," says Karres. "How would you feel arriving at a new school? Be friendly. Ask, Where are you from? What do you like so far? What do you hate so far?' Try to include the new kid. The little gestures and responses you give will go a long way."

New kids can't depend entirely on the goodwill of their classmates when it comes to making friends. So a little small talk can be invaluable.

"Talk to other kids about easy topics," Karres advises. "'How do you like the food in the cafeteria? Do you have the same teachers as I have?' Find something complimentary to say, like 'I like your sneakers. Where did you get that cool notebook?'"

Flattery worked for Marjory Haraguchi. Last year, the 14-year-old moved a few towns away, leaving behind her large public school for a small private school.

"I was worried whether I was going to fit in," says Marjory, a student at Belmont Day School in Belmont, Massachusetts. "I tried to push away my fear of being shy and talked to one of the girls. I started off saying, 'I like your watch.' After that, we started having longer conversations. She was really nice and introduced me to the other girls."

Making friends, says Karres, is like acing a test--it takes practice.

"It's like any other skill," she says. "The more you study your French, the more your knowledge grows. The more you lift weights, the more your biceps grow. The more you make friends, the more skilled at making friends you get. Once you have one friend, other kids will flock to you."

Over the past year, Mario has put his friendship skills to work. So this year, when he arrived at UNIS, he was no longer a scared kid wandering among a crowd of unfamiliar faces.

"Richie and I got to know each other and became good friends," he says. "Through time, I got more friends, and they introduced me to other kids. Now I have a bunch of friends."