School officially began for incoming Holyoke High Freshmen with a three day orientation that ran from Tuesday, August 23rd through Thursday August 25, 2016 at Holyoke High School.

The orientation sessions ran from 8am to 11AM and the school stressed the importance that all 9^th grade students attend as important information about the upcoming year was provided along with activities that helped the freshmen begin the school year on a positive note.

The first session began Tuesday, August 23 with a welcoming ceremony in where Holyoke High’s principal, Stephen Sullivan, and Dean Tech’s principal, Jeffrey Peterson, welcomed the students.

Students that are planning to transfer to Dean Technical High School for their sophomore year learned that in order to apply and get accepted into the school they must pass all of their classes, have no discipline issues, and have perfect attendance while they’re enrolled at Holyoke High.

If students know they are going to struggle with meeting these expectations throughout the upcoming school year, Peterson advised them to reconsider applying for Dean Tech.

Students were also reminded that on Thursday, August 25^th students who signed up for Explorations will be visiting Dean Tech to explore career opportunities at the school. Students were told to wear boots, long pants and a shirt with sleeves to the orientation.

During the first day of orientation, the incoming freshmen were able to introduce themselves to their soon to be classmates and meet some of the teachers they will be working with during the year. They met in those groups at the beginning of each day to check in with their teachers and new classmates.

In an attempt to get the new students familiar with the structure and layout of Holyoke High School, the ninth grade teachers lead their groups in a school-wide scavenger hunt. The students went around the school building and tried to find and identify different rooms and areas according to the clues given to them by the teachers.

Finally, at 10:45am, the students gathered in the cafeteria with their teachers and in the case of the Ethnic Studies students, received a presentation from Dr. Mayfield on one of the topics they will be analyzing and discussing throughout the year which involve different cultures.

The students watched a video of a traditional New Zealand Haka dance performed at a wedding ceremony and later discussed it as a whole group. They were given the task to come up with future ideas in order to create their own version of a Haka chant that will most likely be shared with the rest of the freshmen class during the school year.

In the follows days, the new students were be assigned lockers, given schedules, and given custom t-shirts.

To conclude the three day orientation, a BBQ picnic was hosted for 9th grade students and their families from 11am to 12:00 at Holyoke High School. Thanks to Log Rolling Catering of the Log Cabin for their delicious BBQ food!

Hopefully, the freshmen are ready to go on the first day of school: Tuesday, August 30.

Good Luck, Class of 2020!