Published: September 03, 2008 11:04 pm            

KEN-TON SCHOOLS: Freshman day helps students into high school

Going into high school can be an intimidating prospect for incoming freshmen, but Kenmore West is trying to make the transition as easy as possible.

On Wednesday, the school opened its doors to freshmen only, dedicating a day to letting the new students get a feel for the building and the daily routine without the distraction of 1,700 students in the halls.

Principal Karen Geelan said the school’s freshman orientation program has evolved a lot over the past four years, taking feedback from students at the end of each to fine tune the process and make it more effective.

“This is a big transition for students, and their freshman year is a very important year,” Geelan said. “It’s important that they feel comfortable and welcomed because the main thing students give as a reason for dropping out is that they didn’t feel involved with their school, or they were bored.”

One of the ways that the school tries to convey that welcoming atmosphere is having students run the programs that acclimate the new class into high school life. Members of the school’s Leadership Challenge make up the welcoming committee and worked one or two days each week over the summer to prepare for the day’s activities, said history teacher and club coordinator Darcy France.

This year’s plan is slightly more involved than in previous years, with the welcoming committee members and teachers working together long term to make sure students aren’t slipping through the cracks.

“These 90 to 95 kids will be the voice,” France said. “Every member has four or five freshmen that they’ll watch over for the next few years, making sure their problems are addressed and they have someone to vent to.”

Junior Alex Race is one of those students, trained to do presentations, lead tours of the massive school and generally make the newcomers feel welcome.

“When I came here, I was a little confused,” Race said. “There are a lot of rooms and it’s a lot to take in. This program helped me, and I’ve been involved with it since my sophomore year to help other freshmen.”

Part of that task is mixing students from the district’s three middle schools into one freshman class. That process starts in the homerooms, where students get their first chance to meet the pupils they’ll be seeing in their classes, Race said.

While getting to know one another, the freshmen participate in several presentations aimed at creating an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding. One of these, Flash Judgment, shows a small clip of a person, lets the group make a judgment about the person they’ve seen, then gives a more detailed description of the person to illustrate how first impressions can not only be wrong, but harmful, Geelan said.

Students also write a letter to themselves, which they’ll be given back in four years as seniors. They’re encouraged to write down a goal and then see if they’ve achieved it, France said.

“This is our fourth year, so this year’s seniors will be the first class to get theirs back,” France said.

After the orientation, the students will fill out a form to report what they liked, what they disliked and what they would like to see more of in future years. That feedback will be used to plan a second event, held during Regents Week in January to check in with how everyone is doing and build on the education from this first day.

“We want to create small communities at first and let them connect to the kids in that group,” Geelan said. “Then, in January, once they’re more comfortable, we want to encourage them to spread their wings and meet a larger group of people.”

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.

        

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