Hollister
– On a warm Wednesday evening, San Benito High School’s gym is
filled with the nervous conversation of incoming freshmen and their
parents.
Hollister – On a warm Wednesday evening, San Benito High School’s gym is filled with the nervous conversation of incoming freshmen and their parents.
As the superintendent gives a short welcoming speech to the class of 2011, one mom turns to another:
“The school is a lot bigger than when I went here,” she whispers.
Wednesday night, many of the families of incoming freshmen attended Eighth Grade Preview Night, which the high school puts on every year to help familiarize incoming freshmen and their parents with the high school environment.
With a student population of nearly 3,000, San Benito High School is triple the size of both Marguerite Maze Middle School and Rancho San Justo, the two largest feeder schools.
For eighth-graders entering San Benito High School, becoming adjusted to the mere size of the school, let alone the new academic and social life of high school, life can sometimes prove difficult.
“When you’re an eighth-grader, you’re at the top of the heap, and then when you’re a freshman you’re back at the bottom again,” said Juan Robledo, activities director at SBHS.
The school organizes events like Eighth Grade Preview Night to encourage success for its incoming freshmen.
“Nationwide there’s a huge issue with ninth-grade success, with the transition from middle school to high school,” Debbie Padilla, SBHS principal said. “We’re trying to do lots of things to encourage success at the high school.”
At the preview night, the families of the incoming freshmen get a basic introduction to the school. Families browse the many activities and clubs offered at the school, and students are encouraged to become involved.
Izadela Meza, an eighth-grader at Rancho San Justo, said she was scared about starting high school because of the size and academic requirements, but was looking forward to becoming involved in various activities.
“I’m excited for softball and cheerleading,” Meza said. “They keep you busy instead of being out on the streets.”
Administrators and older students at the high school alike agreed that involvement is often key to student success.
Nate Gardner, a sophomore, came to the high school from Spring Grove, which only has around 500 students at the kindergarten through eighth-grade level. He said he was nervous about going to the large high school, but he became involved in the drama department as a way to meet people.
“It helps a lot,” Gardner said. “It gets you more friends and motivates you to keep up your grades.”
Padilla said academic and social success were both emphasized for the incoming freshmen.
“If the kid is struggling socially, that’s going to affect them in the classroom,” Padilla said. “If they are struggling in the classroom, it may change their peer group. They really go hand in hand.”
For this reason, many of the freshman outreach activities stress a well-rounded student.
One of their most successful events to get the freshmen involved and engaged is the Link Crew. Link Crew puts the freshmen into small groups of around 10 students and assigns them a senior leader who mentors the students and shows them the ropes of the high school.
Deniece Lujan, who is now a junior at SBHS, said Link Crew was the most beneficial part of helping her become adjusted to high school life.
“I think it was good because it got us familiar with some of the seniors. I was scared to come in and it’s helpful to know that the rumors aren’t true and get comfortable with it,” Lujan said.
The school also puts on feeder assemblies for the eighth-graders at the two large middle schools. At these, students from the high school perform skits and answer questions about high school life.
“The message is come to our high school and make the right choices and you will succeed,” Robledo said.
The goal of all the activities and programs for incoming freshmen is to encourage growth and success while the students are at high school and beyond.
“We know if they’re not successful in ninth grade, then they’ll struggle for the rest of their high school career,” Padilla said.
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. You can reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 336 or at aj**@fr***********.com.
