The smell of food trucks, rows of club booths and a mock pep rally greeted the incoming class of 2022 at Family Night on Monday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. The eighth graders spoke with current ASB, club and sports members and listened to student-run panels to see what activities high school has to offer.

“I think there’s a lot of nerves that happen with Family Night, transitioning from middle school to high school. High school’s the big four years with big change, and parents are learning to let go of their kids,” assistant principal Kris Linville said. “This night is about identifying, ‘Yes, we know you love your kid and want you to come with them,’ but letting the kid go.”

The evening began with future Bulldogs browsing booths featuring clubs and activities on the Timeline while performing arts groups demonstrated their talents in small shows in front of the administration building. Students were able to sign up for clubs as well as summer athletic programs.

“It makes me feel a lot better than middle school [to see the activities offered] because it makes me feel like I can actually do what I want, where in middle school there is not that many,” incoming freshman Gina Lee said. “I think there is a wide diversity.”

The event also provided current high school students with a glimpse of who their future classmates will be. Around 500 new students are expected to join for the 2018-19 school year, according to Linville. 

“I’m definitely looking forward to our school feeling more whole, because with only two grades it has been a little strange, to say the least,” sophomore Stephanie Tang said. “I am excited to have more people to fill the campus, because right now it feels a little empty.”

Parents were also given the opportunity to interact and meet with current staff and to learn more about what their child’s life will be like as a high-schooler.

“The faculty and staff and the athletic program are smaller, so the students and athletes get more attention than at other schools,” parent Caitlyn Hobbs said. “The students develop closer relationships with their teachers and coaches, which makes for a very cozy and homey environment for the school.”

Family Night will continue to be an annual tradition to welcome future students, while serving as middle school students’ first step of a four-year-journey.