This August, math teachers and student council advisors Samantha Cornwell and Becky Moisan revamped the New Student Orientation in hopes of better preparing freshmen for the school year.
One specific change focused on how students were grouped.
“The Student Council decided to break the groups up into the Freshmen Seminar classes so that there was more interaction between students that they were going to see almost every day,” said advisor Samantha Cornwell.
“The freshmen seemed to get along pretty well, having no issues with being friendly toward one another,” said Assistant Principal Josue Delgado.
Cornwell noticed that many freshmen engaged in the games and activities during orientation rather than sitting around.
“Walking around the school, you could tell the freshmen liked the orientation. They moved around, were barely on their phones, and found the guest speaker helpful,” said Cornwell.
According to Cornwell, 393 out of 450 new students attended the New Student Orientation this year—the highest attendance in a decade.
Students from all grades assisted with the orientation as well.
“Not only did multiple seniors help out, but also sophomores and juniors who were a part of Student Council from the previous year, showing good representation from all grades,” said Cornwell.
The seniors were especially helpful, giving tours of the school and assisting freshmen with their schedules.
“I found that a lot of seniors were intrigued and pretty excited to help the incoming freshmen around the school so that they can be successful with getting to their classes on time in the future,” said junior Evangeline Letenbre.
The New Student Orientation has progressed throughout the years, but students pointed out areas that could still be improved.
“It would be great for people to have the opportunity to walk through their schedule multiple times if they needed it, since most freshmen on the first day of school were still confused on where to go,” said sophomore Emmelyn Roberts.
Despite its success, some aspects of past orientations that students appreciated were missing this year.
“It was very helpful for me to see all of the different clubs and sports that I could potentially join or that I found interesting. But this year the new students didn’t get that chance, since they didn’t present clubs,” said Roberts.
Senior Julia Daly, who helped out with the orientation, said that although it was helpful, it could feel overwhelming at times.
“At times the orientation felt like overkill and ran longer than it was supposed to, but it was definitely organized. The freshmen said the orientation helped them with knowing their way around the school and learning how their schedules worked,” said Daly.
Delgado said he saw a small improvement in freshmen knowing where to go and navigating the school efficiently.
“As I watched the freshmen walk through the halls on the first day of school, there were slightly more who knew where to go compared to previous years. But I would say the biggest struggle was for them to go from C Hall all the way to H Hall in time for their next class,” said Delgado.
Not only did the orientation help freshmen find their way around the school—it also gave volunteers leadership experience.
“Having students from almost all grade levels participate in the New Student Orientation caused a major increase in their leadership skills and bonds with each other,” said Cornwell.
