By: Rajvee Patel
The transition from middle school to high school can be a scary one at first. On Jan. 29, ASB hosted an eighth grade transition event to help the incoming freshmen get used to the school, according to Junior Sherlene Wei. She was in charge of coordinating the event along with Senior Joshua Carreon and Activities Director Jerrell Maneja. Everyone was split into groups with two tour guides that led the eighth graders around campus. After the campus tour, the eighth graders were brought to the theater where Maneja gave the students a presentation, Wei explained. The eighth graders received a paper that told them everything about the school and they had the opportunity to participate in games during the tour, Wei continued.“It basically runs the same way every year,” Junior Diya Soneji, one of the tour guides, said. “It really just depends on the crowd that you have. Last year, I had a more talkative crowd and this year, I had a less talkative crowd.” Wei coordinated this event last year and said that everything ran smoothly. This year, Wei didn’t feel the pressure as much. She hoped that this event helped the incoming eighth graders, from Thomas Russell and Rancho Milpitas Middle School, feel less anxious for the new school year.“ Movies and people make high school seem really intimidating,” Eighth Grader Rachel Plummer said. “This experience made me feel more ready for high school and made me feel excited to enroll in the many programs offered at MHS.”Even though she was disappointed with how short the event actually lasted, Plummer said she enjoyed seeing the cheerleaders and the military groups perform during the event, and learning about the athletics requirements. The event helped students learn which buildings were used for what subjects and where the satellite kitchens were located, Plummer continued.“ My tour guides were very helpful. However, I heard complaints from many other people who said their tour guides weren’t familiar with the campus,” Plummer said. “One of the things that interested me, though, was the gym. It seemed like a well-kept and large gymnasium, and the fact that the seats spelled out “MHS” made me appreciate the pride that this school has,”Plummer said. Soneji wanted the eighth graders to understand that coming into high school is not the end of the world and that they will still have lives outside of school. She hoped they realized that just because someone wasn’t taking an advanced class like their peers, it didn’t make them any lesser. Soneji advised the eighth graders to just be true to themselves.
“During my freshman year, I remember the seniors that took me around campus. They were really open and friendly with me and they made me feel secure. After the walk we had, I felt like I wouldn’t have any problems,” Soneji said. “This event has impacted me in many different ways and because of that, I’ve always wanted to share the same experience that I got. I just hope that they gained something good out of this opportunity.”