On Aug. 12, the very first in-school orientation for freshmen was held. Freshman attendees went with their English class to the school’s auditorium, where they participated in a game of rock-paper-scissors, received an introduction to their guidance counselors and listened to some high school advice from student speakers.

Apart from the traditional orientation provided to the freshman class prior to the school year, English teachers worked together to host an in-school event as well.

“I thought 9th graders needed a way to feel connected and get excited about high school,” one of the orientation’s coordinators, Katherine Jucker said. 

The transition from middle school to high school is not always an easy one, and adjusting from smaller scale campuses to that of a high school campus takes time.  With the support of English teachers and students, freshmen were gently guided into the realm of high school via the exciting in-school orientation. 

As the freshmen classes entered the auditorium, they were greeted by the school’s peer counselors. 

“The peer counseling team formed a path from the door to the bleachers. They were yelling and cheering, it kind of scared me a little bit, but that’s okay.” freshmen Kaylee Santana said. 

Once seated, the freshman festivities began. In order to break the ice, SGA and student counselors conducted a game of what they refer to as epic rock-paper-scissors, the winners awarded with school merchandise. Subsequent to the exciting rock-paper-scissors match, guidance counselors introduced themselves to freshmen, providing insightful information to them. 

To close the orientation off, student speakers from SGA and Peer Counseling gave speeches of encouragement to the newest generation of high schoolers. 

“I hoped to tell the freshmen that they should begin thinking about their goals and try hard to achieve them,” SGA member Soor Hansalia said.

Freshman year is a great year to begin striving for excellence. With the school’s variety of clubs and sports, ninth graders have endless opportunities to start their journeys to success and become involved. 

Navigating through freshman year can be challenging. Knowing this, English teachers strived to welcome freshmen into school in a new and creative way.

“We also wanted to set a tone that we have high expectations for them, but also, we wanted to let them know that everyone is here to support them,” said Jucker.