Science Teachers Work to Help Freshmen Adjust

Transitioning from eighth grade to high school can be easy for some students and hard for others. No matter the difficulty, having some help and guidance can be an important thing during this exciting time for students. That’s what Old Rochester Regional’s new Freshman Advisory program has set out to accomplish.

Science teachers have teamed with guidance counselors and Principal Michael Devoll to provide freshmen advice on how to adjust to the high school and what to expect during their freshman year. These meetings take place from 7:30 – 7:50 am every other Thursday and will continue throughout the school year.

Mrs. Graser and Mrs. Cabral are well-liked science teachers at ORR, and both of them serve as advisors to the freshmen. Cabral explained how the science teachers’ role in the program came about.

“Mr. Devoll looked for volunteers at the end of last year, and most of the Science Department liked the idea,” said Cabral, “so we became the advisors.” She continued, “I like the fact that we’re able to connect with our freshmen homerooms in a way we haven’t been in the past.”

Graser described Freshman Advisory as “An opportunity for every freshman to have a go-to person to connect with, and help them with typical freshmen issues.” When questioned about what subjects are covered during the meetings, Graser answered by saying, “Staying on top of your work, introducing the students to what the high school has to offer, how to communicate with teachers before it becomes a problem, and managing your time.”

Freshman William Balser described Freshman Advisory from a student perspective.

“We talk about how our week is going and how our grades are,” said Balser. “It helps me know where I am with my grades.”

Balser said, however, that he would like to see the program explore more topics throughout the year.

“It could improve,” said Balser. “There should be a wider range of topics, since a lot of high school is social. Most kids in my grade feel the same way as me.”

Samantha Ball said that Freshman Advisory is “a better way to start the day than classes.” She agreed that the program is repetitive, saying that it could be helped out by some different topics.

“It would be good if we (the students) guided what topics were being talked about.” She added, “It can be useful to students who need help getting organized.”

Cabral said she believes the program will continue next year, as it is “going well for the freshmen right now, and the current freshmen may continue as sophomores.”

Although there seems to be a desire for a greater variety of topics in the curriculum, Freshman Advisory is off to a pretty good start.

By Patrick Briand

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