On August 18, 2021, PHS hosted its annual freshman transition day for incoming freshmen, class of 2025.

High school can be very stressful and scary for many because of the fears they might have. One of the ways to help freshmen be more comfortable is to simply show them around and show them that the school layout isn’t as scary as they might’ve previously thought.

Seniors and juniors showed the freshman around and answered any questions they had. Senior Meredith Stroud explained that the event went close to the plan. “It started out smoothly but then the fire alarm went off while they were eating lunch so that caused a huge mess.”

Being a tour guide meant students had responsibilities. ”We had different spots in the school that we had to highlight to show them around,” said Stroud, “We also gave them tips on how to find their classes and how to get there on time.”

Stroud explained her favorite part of helping out with the transition day. “It was really helpful when I was a freshman, so to be on the other side of it felt good.”

Freshman Mason Lee described what made him the most nervous about entering high school this year: “Finding my classes because I was scared to get lost.”

Even though entering high school can be nerve racking, navigating the building helped some overcome those concerns. “It helped me to find the area of my classes,” Lee said.

While transition day is a student-led event, sponsor of STUCO Ms. Foust helped with planning and executing the details of the event. “All I had to do was communicate with Dr. Burns and pass along information to student council members.”

Although there was no official feedback from students on how the transition day helped them have a better understanding on how high school works, the staff noticed effects of the event. “Some of them left with an understanding of where things are but some of them were still confused on what lunch they had and what day they have homeroom,” said Ms. Foust.

Ms. Foust thinks she could better organize the event for future years. “Maybe split groups up by last name like one group in the morning and one in the afternoon because I feel like the groups were way too big. That’s the only adjustment I would personally make so there are less kids in each group.”

Overall, the transition day was a good opportunity for freshman to get a better understanding on how high school works and how to locate their classes.