Eisenhower and Westwood Elementary 5th -grade students visited Junction City Middle School last week to see what it will be like to transition to middle school. Eighth – grade volunteers served as tour guides to the 5th – grade classes.
The tour began in the commons area where they were greeted by Madea Aavon Baker, who introduced Mrs. Oentrich (Principal) and Ms. Walter (Assistant Principal) to the students. From there, students were broken up into small groups and toured the school; visiting classrooms, the library, and offices. The last part of the tour was in the auditorium where the students got to ask questions about lunch, lockers, sports, classes, and the Renaissance Program. The Q & A panel consisted of 8th – grade students who were able to explain the rules and procedures for navigating the school. They were also able to provide valuable advice to the students. Neil Crowley told the students, “The best advice that I can give you is to keep your work organized and stay off of social media.”
The last part of the tour included students and teachers from the vocal, band, and orchestra room who came in and discussed expectations and requirements for their classes. Students were treated with a special performance from Mr. Mitchell, the orchestra teacher.
Students left Junction City Middle School excited for their transition to middle school and a sense that it would be a smooth experience.
The following article was written by Ah’Marianah Stroman, an 8th – Grade student at JCMS
5th Graders are soon to become 6th graders and they are depending on this school and its mentor program to help them in their transition. 6th grade can be a hard transition, but after a while, it becomes easy. Navigating the hallways, classrooms, and lunchroom can be scary. Learning how to keep up with all of your classes including having multiple classes in one day, and it can be very tricky to stay on top of all your missing work.
I had the opportunity to be a mentor for incoming 6th graders. We met them as they came off the bus and greeted them to our school. We split into smaller groups and took them on a school wide tour. We were able to go into the encore classes and allow them to see first-hand what happens in these classes, including PE. We introduced them to various people in the building and explained programs we have like renaissance and activities and sports they may join in 7th grade.
For those of us who were mentors when our own 5th-grade teachers visited, it was an opportunity to catch up with them and show them how we have grown. It is always nice to have those who have been a part of our lives see how we can be mature young adults and be examples for the future generation of middle school students.
