Northwood held its annual Eighth Grade Parent Night for rising ninth grade students Thursday. The main event of the evening included a general presentation in the school auditorium led by principal Justin Bartholomew, along with assistant principal Phillip Little, the guidance counselors and members of the student council.
A curriculum and club fair followed the initial presentation, as well as school tours led by student council members and a presentation for those interested in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program.
Eighth grader Thaily Alvarez currently attends Moncure School. According to Moncure School’s 2013-2014 school report card, a total of 284 students attend her school.
“I’m very nervous about coming to ninth grade since I come from a very small school: Moncure,” Alvarez said.
She says she will miss her small classes but is excited to start “meeting new people.”
Drew Walden is an eighth grader at Pollard Middle School interested in taking an advanced Spanish course.
“I learned more about the Spanish class that I’m going to be taking, that there’s a placement test… and I learned more about the honors classes,” Walden said. “I didn’t know that if there was a class that was too tough, you could drop it…”
Because he has played lacrosse for years, Walden is “excited” for an opportunity to play in high school.
“I think I’ll like this school better [than Pollard], probably,” Walden said.
Adrienne Spann, 13, came to become exposed to high school for the first time.
“I’m the oldest one in my family, and my parents aren’t really experienced at this,” Spann said.
Among other subjects such as athletic eligibility and classes, Bartholomew touched on success of several of Northwood’s clubs during the large-group presentation at the start of the evening.
“In the last calendar year, we have sent students to Tennessee, Texas, California, Florida… these clubs are going there because they’ve done so well at regional and state competitions that they’ve qualified to move on for those competitions,” Bartholomew said.
He also referenced less competitive extracurricular activities.
“There’s Nerf Club—we always say Nerf Club, that’s the one we fall to—but Nerf Club is a great example of people who like to go around and have their wars or whatever it is they’re going to do,” Bartholomew said. “But it’s cool; that’s great. If that’s what you’re into, that’s fabulous.”
Guidance counselor Ciera Dixon spoke prior to the event.
“The academic difference from middle school to high school is much greater than, I think, [the eighth graders] ever anticipate,” Dixon said.
She expressed her hopes for the evening and beyond.
“We’re excited to work with the rising ninth graders,” Dixon said. “We hope that they have a smooth transition to Northwood and that we continue to have a lot of parent involvement throughout their high school careers.”
When asked about her biggest hope for her eighth grade child as they transition into high school, parent Jody Howell had just one short reply: “Success.”
– By Adrianne Cleven