“I’m going to get lost. I won’t have any friends in my classes. My locker might not open!” Sound familiar? It should, because these are the same fears that most incoming freshmen secretly harbor. And the class of 2015 is no different. However, they might feel a little more welcome in high school than previous years; thanks to some changes in the orientation assembly on September 1st.
Probably the most popular addition was the Tommy Trojan video by Kylie Hogrefe and Lucia Kissinger. It starred Chechia Vang as Tommy Trojan; putting away his phone, deciding not to cheat, resisting the urge to fall asleep in class, and in general demonstrating the Trojan Way. Their video was a big hit, with the audience engaged and even laughing at quite a few parts. Freshman Ben McClouf affirmed that it was “very informative” and that now “[he] knows how to be a good Trojan”.
Speaking of the Trojan way, the assembly also included a motivational speech about the dress code from Will Harrington, who kindly reminded us all not to “let our booty-cracks show”. One freshman, Kyle Hemming, remarked that he liked Coach Gabrielson’s “Recipe for Success; work hard and you will achieve success”. Justice Hawkins, another freshman, thought that orientation was “a little too long”, but got her looking forward to the rest of the year.
The last change this year is that homerooms and tours were completely run by the Freshen Mentors. A new social studies teacher, Riley Mewes, thought the upperclassmen in his homeroom were “very engaging”, and biology teacher Tom Schneider liked the “connection” that students have with one another rather than with adults.
Junior Kelsey Kennedy felt that it went well, even though the new students were fairly awkward, “but that’s normal”. Kylie Hogrefe, a junior, thought the students were respectful, and “PBIS is going to [improve] that attitude [even more]”.
Mr. Schneider says that this could be “the best year at Tosa West yet.” Good luck to the class of 2015!
Reporter: Maggie Overholt
Photographer: Kelli McCalligan
