On Friday, March 25, all of the eighth grade students from Thomas Harrison Middle School walked to the high school for a day filled with information that would assist them throughout their freshmen year. After a performance by the JROTC step team, half of the crowd took tours while the others stayed in the auditorium and then switched. In the auditorium, a slideshow was presented to the young students about all the rules, regulations, and expectations of a blue streak.

This day wasn’t easy to prepare, as counseling co-director, Lisa Warren, explains what needed to be done.

“There [weren’t] any concerns, it’s just a lot of behind the scenes. [We had to be] setting up the logistics, making sure there’s tour guides, making sure that there’s dates that meet the middle school schedule and the high school schedule,” Warren said.

The student-led tours gave the rising freshmen a chance to walk through the halls and experience the change of pace from middle to high school. One of the eighth grade students, Paula Moreira, wasn’t used to the size of the building at first.

“[The school is] a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be,” Moreira said. “[I’m worried about] getting lost.”

Along the way, the middle schoolers learned about the elective options available to them as future freshmen. STEM inspired eighth grader, Dlovan Hassan, was impressed by the scheduling options offered.

“[I’m excited about] having the flexibility of classes,” Hassan said. “[I would] probably [take] STEM.”

One major difference between middle school and high school is the mixture of grades in every class. Moreira looks forward to meeting new people and enjoys the student vibe in high school.

“[I’m excited about] getting to know people who are older and mix in with the community,” Moreira said. “Everyone was really nice and let us know what we were doing and where we were getting to.”

Overall, the teachers and counselors hope that this visit to the high school gave the eighth graders motivation to move forward and concentrate on becoming a studious freshman. Warren believes that this introduction to their high school career will help the rising freshmen succeed.

“We tried to give the rising freshmen an opportunity to come and listen to the expectations of Harrisonburg High School, the rules and regulations and appropriate behavior for a freshman. [We wanted to] introduce the faculty and then give them an opportunity to see the building, to motivate them to get through the rest of their eighth grade year.” Warren said.