Rising ninth grader orientation has become a rite of passage for Boothbay Region Elementary School students. Parents and 38 students took part May 17. Students were invited to don their “Class of 2023” T-shirts for a class picture. Boothbay Region High School Principal Dan Welch, BRHS Guidance Counselor Janet Sprague and College Access Coordinator Hannah Johnson introduced students to the high school.

Formerly called 8th Grade Step Up Day, the event helps future freshmen become accustomed to the building, schedules and future classmates, Johnson said. It includes a meet and greet with Welch and other staff and shadowing a ninth grader as they make their way from class to class.

“I've always said my job and the teacher's job is to make sure when you leave here you have options … to do all the great things in life that you want to do,” said Welch. “My advice to students is to always get involved. Students I see having the best high school experiences are the ones who get involved.”

High school offers several opportunities, Welch continued. Students who have found success at BRES can continue building upon academic excellence and extracurricular experiences. Equally as important, Welch said, students who have not had such a great experience in middle school can turn that around.

“Maybe middle school's been a little tough and maybe things didn't go quite as well as you would have liked. That's okay. You start out at Boothbay Region High School with a 100% clean slate. This is a great chance to reinvent yourself, to make (good) habits, and to really glow and we're going to help you with all of that,” said Welch.

With school enrollment going down, Welch said sizes remain small and allow BRHS staff and teachers to focus more on group and individual learning. Every teacher has an hour in which they can meet with students one on one to help students succeed, said Welch. However, parents should also feel comfortable speaking to school staff about any concerns or issues right off the bat.

“When in doubt, get in touch with us … One of the hardest things I've seen is when a parent gets in touch and says, 'You know, I've had this concern for three months’ … We just have a ton of people here to give support to our students.”

When Welch finished, students were invited down from the bleachers, received their class T-shirts and then filed outside to the BRHS front steps for a class picture. Afterwards, they filed back inside to be paired with ninth graders to shadow for the rest of the school day.

Before laying down some ground rules for both classes of students and sending them on their way, Sprague reiterated Welch’s wisdom that BRHS can be a whole new experience. “You all have the opportunity to excel if you want and we hope that you will take the opportunity to do that.”