Photography provided by Ginger O’Neil
Yesterday we had almost 150 freshmen opt to come to school for an additional day of orientation, and it was super exciting to see them in the building, making new friends, and learning about the Walker Way. Our program was a streamlined, but ramped-up, version of the Freshmen Booster Camp that we have done in the past, but instead of four days with 25 kids we packed a lot into one day with six times as many freshmen!
An event like this never happens without the support of many people. Thanks to Lisa Williams and Joy Cobb for co-planning and coordinating, Max Smith and Rachel Loving for stepping up and pitching in when the registration line got too long, all of Counseling for helping to welcome the incoming students and making an appearance to set the tone for the rest of the year, Lisa Hannah-Gordon and Deborah Snagg for helping set up tech and resolve my afternoon tech challenges, our student coordinators (10th, 11th, and 12th graders) for all their enthusiasm and help, and Bob Lowerre for his opening remarks and energy, but also for getting behind the idea in the first place and supporting the idea of an additional day devoted to onboarding our newest students.
A prime goal was to give the students an introduction to our school’s namesake and the values of the Walker Way, but we also wanted them to make some friends and feel a little more connected, so that next week they’ll know some people in their classes on day one. I think we achieved both of those goals.
Ed Coleman
English Department
