Parents filled the campus on the evening of Thurs. Aug. 31 as the Upper School hosted its annual back-to-school night, and once again, the event was a success.
The goal of back-to-school night is to allow parents to meet the faculty and to review what is expected of students during the upcoming school year. During their time on campus, parents visit each of their child’s classes, immersed in a mock seven-period day.
For upperclassmen, the event began with a meeting in Benjamin Hall with college counseling. There, college counselors went over what was expected of the seniors in the upcoming months.
For underclassmen, the evening began with gatherings for advisory, offering returning families a chance to reconnect and new families a chance to meet those whom they’ll be spending the next four years with.
English teacher Mrs. Meaghan Steiner, believes that back-to-school night gives parents a chance to judge a teacher’s personality and energy level in the classroom which, in turn, helps them understand the classroom dynamic.
“I think parents appreciate putting faces with names when it comes to teachers. It’s a chance for teachers to communicate their priorities for the school year and create a team between teachers and the parents. Not everyone reads email regularly, so meeting face to face helps the parent help their child,” said Mrs. Steiner.
When a parent had a study hall, they were welcome to come grab a snack and get their questions answered in the DLC, where the college counselors and administrators were located.
Also present throughout the evening were numerous members of NHS who helped guide parents around campus. As they sought to make the transition from class to class as seamless as possible, their time was considered part of their required service hours.
For President of NHS, senior Matias Saiz, the event went smoothly, even though this was the first school-wide event that he organized.
“I was in charge of making sure everyone was on task and where they were supposed to be. I worked with Ms. Misselhorn to make sure every question was answered for the parents. It went very well and I am happy with how it turned out,” said Saiz.
Back-to-school night has always been a staple of the beginning of the year festivities, but as students go from freshman to senior year, teachers have noticed a decrease in parent participation at the event.
“I noticed that all my sophomore classes had most parents at the back-to-school night, but my senior classes only had one or two,” said Upper School Social Studies Department Chair Ms. Sara Misselhorn.
On the other hand, English teacher and Pharcyde advisor Dr. John Peruggia celebrated an end-of-night gathering of G-period parents. “All of the students in my class were represented by their parents, and most of them had visited in the past… I think the parents enjoy reuniting and seeing each other every fall,” said Dr. Peruggia.
The next chance for parents to formally meet with the Upper School teachers will be at student-led parent-teacher conferences on Oct. 25.
