Junior high helps Grade 6 students prepare for transition

Times Reporter

 

Making the transition from elementary school to junior high can be daunting. Suddenly you go from the top of the school, right back to the bottom. It can be tough and the staff at Crowther Memorial Junior High knows this, which is why they have their annual Grade 6 BBQ. 

“We invite them because we want them to get a sense of what the school is before they start in September, and to meet their new teachers, to get a tour of the school, to meet the office staff,” said Linda Tucker, associate principal of Crowther Memorial Junior High. 

“We do this really cool digital scavenger hunt where they use their own iPhones or cell phones and iPads and take pictures around the school and submit it, and then at the end there are prizes. It’s really just about welcoming them here and easing their fear before they come.”

Between the four schools invited; Wheatland, Westmount, Brentwood and Carseland there are approximately 170 Grade 6 students who attend the tour and BBQ annually. 

“This is honestly one of the best days that we have in our school is Grade 6 BBQ day,” said Tucker. 

Teachers Anne Paskevich and Colin Lenox organized the day, though all of the staff do get involved in some way, and the day led by the Grade 9 student leadership kids. 

“Our leadership program is just such an important citizenship community program because it’s building these Grade 9 kids, it’s really building them into future leaders, working with kids and developing them and taking the lead on managing students and it just empowers their own communication skills,” said Tucker.