It was before the chill of fall when almost 400 incoming freshmen gathered in the East High School auditorium to learn of their fate for the next four years. A feeling of anxiety and anticipation filled the room, high school was about to begin.

“We had about 350 incoming freshmen, which is a really good turnout.” said Kim Rayl, East High graduation and the event coordinator. She said she hoped that the freshman had a good time and that they learned something.

“I had a lot of fun and I made friends,” said Sarah Sutton, 9, “I would add some more activities.” The activities that the students participated in included name games and games of trust and teamwork.

“The lip-sync battles and being shown the school was fun,” Maggie Parrish, 9, said.

The overall consensus was that orientation was very helpful.

“It helped me find my way around the school and I made a new friend,” said Abigail Morse, 9. “I finally knew where I was going the first day.”

Several students suggested, for next year’s freshman, some things could be done differently. Maggie suggested that the leaders should engage a  little more. “I would improve the upperclassmen talking to us more,” said Maggie. “They just kind of talked to each other.”

Mrs. Rayl is always looking for ways to improve the event. “I think it could be improved by getting feedback from the ninth graders,” said Rayl.

It seems as if orientation was a hit. The games, the battles, the talking with old friends will be a long lasting high school memory for the class of 2019.