As second semester starts, students are beginning to choose their classes for next school year. And it’s not just high schoolers that are beginning to choose their classes. eighth graders also have to make very big decisions this time of year, as they will be soon choosing what classes and clubs to join for their freshman year of high school.
On Thursday Jan. 29, eighth grade families from Frontier Middle School as well as some private schools like Immaculate Conception of Dardenne (ICD), gathered at Liberty for a two-part event starting with a presentation in the auditorium from College and Career Counselor Michelle Gerringer, who talked about not only picking classes for their freshman year, but also about what the high school life is like and how it is a substantial change transfering from middle school to high school.
“This isn’t just about picking classes,” Gerringer said. “Everything is going to be brand new, what to expect, what resources there are, what opportunities there are, and to keep them aware of everything that might change when they’re leaving middle school to come to high school.”
While this event is held for the incoming freshman families to get an early look at what high school will be like for their children, it is also a night for clubs at Liberty to get a look into some of the interest it is getting with the new class of students.
The second part of the event, families were able to walk around the cafeteria and see some of the clubs and activities that Liberty has to offer. Each club had a representative that was there to explain and show off their club, hoping to make it intriguing enough to gain the attention of the eighth-grade students.
Members from 14 different clubs around Liberty set up tables in the cafeteria showcasing what their club is all about. These tables contained everything and anything you would need to know about a club, such as the Robotics club having some of the robots that they have built, art club having some of the paintings they have painted, HOSA having some of their awards they have been awarded in past years, as well as many more.
HOSA advisor Jennifer Strathman attended eighth-grade night supporting HOSA as well as Project Lead the Way (PLTW). Strathman brought many things to present to the incoming freshmen, including for HOSA, past awards, photos from different events they have done and for PLTW there was a dissected pig kidney, a blood pressure cup, and many more interactive items for the families to look at.
“I had my Project Lead the Way table right next to it (the HOSA table) because that ties with it so we just had some of the equipment that we use for different activities that hopefully draw students in,” Strathman said.
This annual event is always one of the favorites around the middle school because it shows how much the Liberty family cares about their students lives.
“I want them to use their time well here,” Gerringer said. “So that when they take that next step they aren’t wasting time or money, that they understand the consequences of making catastrophic financial decisions, and give them the information at the early end so that they can hit the ground running when they graduate.”
