Ninth graders explore high school in April

On April 28, ninth-grade students participated in a freshman orientation to help ease the transition into high school. The event included tours of the building, an introduction to various clubs and organizations, and advice from current high school students.

Freshmen Wesley Dean and Caleb Cox shared their thoughts on the experience, along with counselor Chris Wood, who emphasized the importance of the event.

“The orientation is a long-standing tradition where ninth graders come up and see the high school,” Wood said. “Every year, we try to make sure our ninth graders coming into the building have a kind of transitional period. They take a little bit of time to figure out what’s expected of them, but also get into the building in a non-stressful environment. You can come up, have a little bit of fun and tour the school. That first day of the school year is always really scary: you’re nervous, you’re thinking about where your classes are. Orientation day has always been a chance to come up, hear from a few students and get a tour.”

Dean said he found the tour especially helpful.

“The tour was really fun and important,” Dean said. “One of my biggest fears coming into high school was not knowing where my classes are. That gave me a lot of confidence.”

While the tour plays a key role, Wood said the most important benefit of the orientation is building early connections.

“I think the biggest benefit is just seeing some familiar faces,” he said. “We had 65 high school students who gave tours, sat on panels and participated in the activity fair. Just having a face that’s somewhat familiar is super helpful.”

Cox echoed this sentiment.

“My biggest fear about moving to high school is that I won’t know anybody in my classes,” Cox said. “Being able to see someone that I recognize is really important for me, and the orientation helped a lot with that.”

Wood also encouraged students to get involved in extracurricular activities as a way to build connections and ease the transition.

“Research shows that if a student is involved in more than just academics, their attendance improves, and their academics improve,” he said. “When you see the 25 different clubs and organizations in the gym, just a small portion of what we offer, it’s saying that you can do a lot of different things. You don’t have to be in sports or music. Being involved helps you get to know the people in the building.”

Dean said he’s already found a club that caught his interest.

“I’m probably going to join the rocket club,” he said. “I saw them on orientation day, and it looks like fun to build and launch rockets.”

Wood offered one final piece of advice for incoming students.

“Be willing to get out of your comfort zone,” he said. “It’s easy to come into a new building and stay in your circle, keep your head down, but be OK being uncomfortable. School is going to be hard for a little bit. Friendships might be hard. But that’s OK. If you stay in your growth area, you’ll definitely develop.”