Scary parts of high school for students could be their first AP course, perhaps their first SAT, but for many, the unfamiliarity of freshman year is the scariest experience out of all. Freshman orientation served a very special day for our school by bringing together all the incoming freshmen despite their background: HMS, a different district, or even another country. Prior to orientation, San Marino High School students spent some of their summer decorating the school and making sure everything was perfect for the incoming freshmen at our school. The goal was to primarily familiarize the newcomers with the layout of the school. A secondary aim of the upperclassmen was to introduce the staff that will keep an eye on them for the next four years in their academic journey as well as the upperclassmen who would act as leaders and role models for the underclassmen to look up to. Orientation participants were guided by Link Crew Leaders, older students who aimed to use their knowledge and experience as a high schooler to help guide freshmen through their year. “It’s nerve-racking because there’s so many new people, rules, and a new campus,” Anson Loo, 9, said.
During freshman orientation the freshmen played many different ice breakers which were set up and led by their Link Crew leaders. “First walking into the gym was kind of scary seeing all those new faces, but also refreshing to see my friends I haven’t seen for a year. We played some Jenga as an ice breaker where you had to answer a question about yourself when you pulled out a block, but I still lost. We were also given bottled soda which was pretty cool,” Aiden Chang, 9 said.
After the activities, most of the freshmen were brought outside the gym, split into different groups and went to tour the school with their Link Crew Leaders. Soon after, they took their school ID pictures and went to get their books. Then they had lunch and then quick 20-minute classes with all of their teachers and concluded their first day at their new home for the next four years. Adapting to a new environment can be a struggle for many, but Freshman Orientation brings comfort, excitement, and belonging to our newest Titans.
