Bradwell Institute hosted its eighth annual Freshman Fair on Feb. 22.
The event is a component of the eighth-grade transition program, which includes visits to and from the rising ninth-graders, transition talks with upperclassmen and Camp BI.
The Freshman Fair, which provides a snapshot of Tiger student life, is part of preparing Liberty County’s eighth-graders for life after middle school, according to graduation coach Lea Bailey. This year’s Freshman Fair had the largest turn out yet, drawing about 275 attendees.
Two relatively new activity clubs, the Fine Arts Club and the Debate Team, hosted booths highlighting some of their activities and achievements over the past year. The Interact Club had popcorn, lemonade, cotton candy and face-painting at its booth. HOSA, SkillsUSA, FBLA, FCCLA and FFA also participated.
Since coming from a smaller middle-school setting to a larger high-school setting can be a difficult adjustment, Bradwell’s JROTC led school tours for rising freshmen and their families.
Eboni, a JROTC cadet leading the tours, said, “Both students and their parents were amazed at the size of the school and the variety of activities available to students.”
CTI and Project Success, programs developed to aid in the transition from middle school to high school and from high school to a post-secondary program or job, hosted booths that focused on the purpose and goals of both programs.
Fine arts, CTAE and academic disciplines also were featured. The band hosted a booth offering information about their program, and the BI drum line entertained everyone with a performance.
The BI chorus teacher held some auditions, while sculpture students gave hands-on demonstrations of techniques.
The Liberty County College and Career Academy offered information on the new Career Academy and programs available for BI students. Teachers and department heads were on hand to answer questions concerning the coming school year.
Sculpture teacher Brooke Reyna said the event “is a tangible resource” that gives rising ninth-graders an opportunity to “informally interact with teachers and upperclassmen.”
Many upperclassmen also were present to help ease some apprehensions about starting high school.