Adjusting to at a new school is difficult enough for most kids, but new entrants to La Salle faced their own unique set of challenges. They had to complete the "Plebe System," a rigorous program of training modeled after the one used at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The term was an abbreviation of the Latin word "Plebeian," which generally indicted a "common" person or one of lower class. Plebes were reminded on a daily basis that they were "The lowest form of life on Earth." They were badgered and quizzed by the upperclassmen, and usually there were a lot of pushups as well. The presumed purpose was twofold: to Administrative purpose of acclimating the new student to life at the Academy, and the deeper Military purpose of teaching the new cadet how to function in high-pressure situations.