The beginning of the new school year is exciting for everyone, including parents. Wednesday, August 19 was Back-to-School night for Heritage High School, from 6pm to 8:30pm. Back-to-School night welcomes parents and their students to come to the school, meet with teachers, and learn about the teachers and their curriculum.
When entering the school, Heritage ambassadors welcome guests and help guide them wherever they need to go. Jacob Jensen ‘27, a Heritage Ambassador, said, “We do this thing we call the Welcome Gauntlet, where there’s pretty much a line of ambassadors from the front door all the way to the theatre, and we all greet people and give them handouts and direct them to the wherever they need and just try to make it as welcoming as possible.”
Once inside, the main attraction of the event is in the classrooms where teachers hold presentations, meet parents, and answer questions. These presentations last about 9 minutes each, and were held all night. Outside the classrooms, EPIC campus had stands set up in the hallway for parents to get information on classes and enrollment. On top of that, Principal Stacey Riendeau was on the second floor talking with parents, as well as the counselor’s office being open to parents.
Kim King, Heritage’s registrar, answered some questions about back to school night, and when asked, “What are parents most interested in learning about tonight?” she replied, “Mostly asking about the schedule, especially with freshmen parents and how it’s different from middle school.” King also pointed out that the freshmen class is “very soft-hearted, in a good way. They care a lot about each other and take good care of each other.”
One last thing King mentioned is that the best way for parents to help out their students is to show up for students at any sporting event, extracurricular activities, etc. and even though it may seem cheesy, family dinners and checking in on their student every once in a while are a great way to support their student without hovering over them.