by Ben Schmidt, STAFF WRITER
17 April 2018
Students from the three district junior highs got the chance to experience a little bit of high school on Thursday, April 5th, when they were welcomed to East during an evening known as Welcome to the Pack Night, which provides 8th grade district students the chance to experience the school before attending East next fall.
“In 8th grade I do remember attending this event, as it was rainy and cold, but it definitely got me involved and it was definitely fun. The people that were there were very welcoming and very helpful and it really helped me start off my high school career,” senior student leader Malcolm Wolfe said.
Opening East’s Doors
Multiple student leaders helped run this years event, along with a few members of the East staff. The goal of the students was to hopefully help get them used to the school, along with helping to convey the experiences they have already had and the 8th graders will soon experience.
“Hopefully we can show them how OE runs around here, get them into the ropes, and help them have a nice start,” junior Stefano Garcia said.
When the freshman students arrive to school on the first day, they will have only half of the school day to follow what will be their first semester schedule. Shortened class periods that day will limit the amount of time they have to meet other incoming freshmen, and what remains of the afternoon — known as Frosh Fest — will give students only a brief tour of the school that students will attend for the next four years.
“Anytime you can get into East is helpful to prepare you for your time here because you’re meeting new people, seeing the school, meeting people who go to the school, and you get to ask questions,” senior Lauren Antoniolli said.
Student Services counselor Alisa Sloan, the event’s primary coordinator, knew that it was important for the incoming freshmen to meet each other and be introduced to the school as soon as possible, mostly due to the multiple different middle schools that feed into next year’s freshman class.
“We want [the students] to meet new people and find people who have common interests as them,” Sloan said. “And also just have another chance to get familiar with the building and see what high school is all about.”
“Oswego East is a place where you should be able to meet other people, have fun, and just really open up yourself to other people in the community.”
— senior Malcolm Wolfe
Settling In
When students first arrived to East Thursday night, they started by playing games with their fellow classmates. These games consisted of basketball, tug of war, and and a rock paper scissors tournament. Next came some icebreakers to get the students to better know each other. Afterwards came some speeches from current East students about their experiences at the school. The event then concluded with some prizes such as shirts and gift cards.
“I think it’s really important for them to be here tonight because it gets them acquainted with other people that they’re going to see the next four years of their life. It’s really just a good way for them to come to the school and see what’s around,” Wolfe said.
The all important icebreakers included determining the birth dates of everyone in your assigned small group without speaking and answering questions drawn randomly from a hat.
“All of the icebreaker activities are run by junior and senior students so they can get to know each other, things about the school, and ask the group leaders questions. So it’s to help them get more comfortable,” Sloan said.
Giving Voice to the Future
“I hope [Future Wolves Night] sends a really positive message about Oswego East. We have a lot of our student leaders here that are really involved in their classes, clubs, and sports, so I hope that that shows that if you get involved it will be a good experience for you,” senior Lauren Antoniolli said about the speeches on Thursday.
As the soon to be high schoolers left the building Thursday, they left with what Wolfe hoped is a new perspective about East and the type of school it really is.
“Oswego East is a place where you should be able to meet other people, have fun, and just really open up yourself to other people in the community,” Wolfe said.
Ben Schmidt is a staff writer for Oswego East High School’s online news magazine the HOWL