Disclaimer: The author of this post, Allison Rook, is a member of Commotion.
Future Panther Night, which took place on Thursday, Nov 16, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., was an amazing opportunity for eighth-grade students to get a feel for the high school environment.
The event allowed future Panthers to see what they might be interested in as they take the next step in their educational career.
“Various clubs had individuals stationed around the building to inform them their clubs and answer any questions the current eighth graders had,” senior Natalie Meldon said.
Different departments around the school invited the middle schoolers to ask questions and tour throughout multiple classrooms. One of these areas that let future students visit was the art department, who let eighth graders view previous high school projects.
“The middle schoolers were encouraged to walk around the room, look at all the art and working students, explore the abundance of art supplies and cool objects found within the room, and ask questions about art classes and AP options,” senior Jay Dove said.
Not only were they able to get a glimpse into high school life, but they were also able to gain great information from talented OH students.
“[The eighth-graders] were getting to hear first-hand experiences, tips, and course run-downs from experienced art students, which is a pretty useful resource,” Dove said.
The ability to obtain knowledge first-hand from OH students across multiple subjects and clubs throughout the school allows future students learn new skills before they reach high school.
“This was a very cool opportunity for the incoming freshman to be able to view and experience what real-life high school activit look and feel like,” Meldon said.
The chance to look at high school life is an event that is unique to OH, as not all high schools offer the same event.
“The middle schoolers were able to ask freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior-level high school students about art courses they were currently in or had already taken,” Dove explained.
The fact that the eighth graders could interact with multiple people in different grades and levels gave them a distinctive experience, as they could ask personalized questions they may not have had the chance to ask otherwise.
One group, Commotion, also known as OH’s show choir, ran a live practice for the middle schoolers to watch. This allowed eighth graders to not only have the opportunity to get a gauge on possible courses to take, but it also allowed them to see possible extra-curricular activities they could participate in.
“Not many clubs [and] activities were running an active practice like Commotion was,” Meldon said.
Future Panther Night is not a new addition to the school’s calendar. This annual opportunity welcomes SD308 eighth-graders explore high school life and has become an OH tradition.
Hi, my name is Allison and this is my first year in Digital Journalism. I am in multiple clubs such as BIONIC, Commotion, and multiple different honor societies! I am so excited to be a new member on the 42Fifty team.
Amazing article! So happy to have so many talented writers like Allison on staff.