This month, Aragon began its outreach efforts to incoming freshman from various middle schools. In addition to redesigning eighth grade shadow days, Aragon displayed its array of activities and programs through its open houses and EXPO night.
In past years, shadow days allowed eighth graders to come to Aragon and follow freshmen during second, third, and fourth period. However, this process had several drawbacks. Explains freshman counselor Stacy Becker-Kim, “The feedback we received from both parents and students after shadow days was not consistent. Sometimes people had a great experience with their freshman ambassador, and other times they had an ambassador who wasn’t talkative or didn’t have classes that they were interested in. We decided that this was not the best format and not the best way to show off Aragon.”
The new shadow system, developed by the Aragon counseling department, now places eighth graders in groups led by counseling faculty. This allows students to go on tours through Aragon classes under the guidance of counselors instead of freshmen. The counseling department made an effort to arrange groups by academic interest so that prospective students could see classes that they would likely take at Aragon.
After observing classes, eighth graders were then shown a presentation by Aragon Leadership. Leadership student and current sophomore Catherine van Blommestein, notes that this presentation aims to make the eighth graders feel comfortable at Aragon. Says van Blommestein, “The purpose of this presentation is to welcome the students to Aragon and show them the great aspects of our school.”
Students have mixed opinions about this change. Freshman Cami Nemschoff, who shadowed as an eighth grader, feels that there is something special and important about having a specific student to shadow. Notes Nemschoff, “I liked following a student because [in doing so], you get a student’s perspective of the school. Additionally, because I requested a friend, it made me more comfortable asking questions about the school.”
Aragon also reaches out to middle school students and parents through open houses. Aragon’s main open house for prospective students is the Aragon EXPO, which was held on Nov. 8. Leadership students and Service Commissioners led tours of campus, including the new CTE building and the theater. These tours were followed by a presentation in the gym commenced by Principal Kurtz and continued by Leadership students, counselors, and department heads.
According to Becker-Kim, Leadership was a logical portion of the student body to incorporate in outreach efforts. Says Becker-Kim, “Leadership students have already been trained to be ambassadors for Aragon. When we had freshmen act as ambassadors in previous years, it was difficult for them to answer questions because they had only been at Aragon for two or three months.”
Overall, Aragon’s outreach efforts have received positive reviews from the community. Says Becker-Kim, “We have received very positive feedback not only from prospective students and parents, but also from teachers, who find the new shadow system to be much less disruptive and much more informative. Now, we are much more in control of the process and can focus on promoting all that Aragon has to offer.”
