A Tour to a New Start: 8th Grade Orientation
February 15, 2023
Ever since the pandemic, the upcoming 8th graders haven’t been able to tour their future high school campus like the previous years. But this year, things are all back to normal! PPCHS’s SGA is officially hosting the 8th graders’ orientation once again. SGA members will be giving the 8th graders from West, Central, and Academic Village middle school campuses a trip around the high school. When they come next year, they will all be well aware of what is what and where to go, ensuring that they aren’t overwhelmed by how different the high school atmosphere is, something that a lot of students worry about when they transition from middle school to high school.
On February 10, the class of 2027 went on their high school tour in which they saw their new home for the next 4 years starting in the fall. Mr. Bayer expresses “I look forward to meeting the students in the class of 2027! It is a great opportunity for them to see what happens at PPCHS during the school day, and it is a great chance for our current students to show both pride and leadership for our school!” This will give the incoming freshman a look at what their days will be filled with, and the new opportunities they will be able to take advantage of that they may have not been able to as a middle schooler– new clubs, a more variety of sports, more advanced classes, and much more!
With help from the upperclassmen members from PPCHS’s National Honor Society, Student Government members, and Black Student Union, the incoming freshmen were able to meet a diverse group of people with different experiences to help explain information about the school. Not only did they inform them about the structure of the campus, but they also provided information about what else the school has to offer.
Mr. Jablonka expresses that “I always think that it’s a memory that Charter students have when they are starting off in middle school. Even when I was a student here and I had my 8th grade orientation, coming out to campus and seeing the high school…getting to interact with them in
classes is always a fun time…it is a big place when you are jumping from a middle school to a high school. You go from one or two buildings to six buildings.” The class of 2026, the freshman, missed this opportunity. Freshman Gabriana Bravo says that “Going into the first day of high school I was a little scared. Not necessarily because it was high school, but more because I didn’t know where the buildings were, so I was scared of getting lost.”
Mr. Jablonka also adds “I think our seniors and juniors that do tours love to do it too because they get to see younger siblings and get to see the younger generation start to take shape. So, this tour is a great opportunity to have– not just for students, but also upperclassmen in which they can see younger siblings.” This lets the seniors and juniors reflect back and see these 8th graders and remember that that used to be them too. It lets them take into account how far they have come.
The orientation helped showcase different things at Charter such as different activities, events, or even clubs that go on here on our academic village campus. The students got to see performances from Charter’s color guard, drama, dance, latin dance, and band at the River of Grass. On top of that, students viewed a presentation on clubs and got to ask some senior representatives questions. SGA Corresponding Secretary Anaya Andre emphasizes that “The 8th graders were so excited to hear the variety of activities at Charter High School. They were on the edge of their seats just waiting to hear what came next.” This orientation was a major success, as it helped elaborate what Charter is and what things the school has to fulfill all the student’s needs.
