Starting a new school can be scary and confusing for many students. There are new buses to ride, new lockers and unknown faces in the hallways. Baltimore County Public Schools helped ease a few of those fears Monday, with an "Early Entry Day" that offered incoming sixth- and ninth- grade students a chance to walk through their entire class schedules at their new schools.
All 30 middle and 28 Baltimore County high schools participated in the Early Entry Day. Monday operated on a half-day morning schedule, with the start times at each school based on a real school day. Students will have their official opening day Wednesday, Aug. 24.
There were a few yawns from incoming sixth-grade students, as the Early Entry Day at Loch Raven Technical Academy began an 8 a.m. start. On a typical day, the magnet school serves about 750 students in grades six to eight. But on Aug. 22, Monday, incoming sixth-graders had the school to themselves.
"The Early Entry Day is a time for sixth-graders to come in and just get acquainted with the building," said Stacey Johnson, principal at the academy.
First, students rode a new bus route to the building. Then they made their way to their homeroom class. After homeroom was the daunting task of opening their lockers for the first time, "which is like, the hardest thing for a middle school student," Johnson said.
Students stood in front of their purple lockers holding a slip of paper with the lock combination. Teachers stood nearby, guiding the sixth-graders on how many times they had to twist the lock to the right or left. When one locker was finally opened, students sitting next to each other smiled and gave high-fives.
In one classroom, 11-year-old Khande Dixon, of Parkville, found her seat and quietly waited for her class to begin. She said she was really nervous but excited, too.
"I'm less nervous than before I came here," Khande said.
While she was excited about everything that comes with sixth grade, Dixon said she was really looking forward to learning a new language, part of the curriculum for sixth-graders.
"Spanish is something I'm more interested in," she said.
Monday was a big day for teachers as well. First-time teacher Josh Shank spent the time meeting his students before his first social studies class. He knows how chaotic the first day of school can be, and he said the Early Entry Day helps ease sixth-grade fears.
"It helps them with nerves before everybody gets here," Shank said. "And it helps me learn their faces."
As one of the main organizers of the entry day at the academy, world cultures teacher Jeff Groleau spent most of the day directing students to classrooms and helping other teachers with the schedule.
"It's a little bit more relaxed, so it allows for us to have a better time with being able to work with the kids," Groleau said.
Groleau had already met a few of the students while teaching at the academy's summer camp. He planned to continue some of the lessons from the camp — such as problem solving and team building — into the school year.
"Our goal is to create a comfortable and safe environment," Groleau said.
For the upcoming students, Johnson had one piece of advice.
"Don't be afraid to ask questions," she said. "We're here to help you."