On Thursday, Archbishop Carroll welcomed 270 seventh graders to its annual visitation day.
Of the 6o schools Carroll events director Ms. Brianne Branco contacted to send students to visitation day, 47 schools sent at least one 7th grader.
“We are so excited to welcome all the seventh graders to Archbishop Carroll and we hope they had an amazing time with the Carroll community,” Ms. Branco said. “We look forward to welcoming them back for more visits in 8th grade.”
Seventh grade visitation day allows potential students to experience the school environment. The seventh graders get an idea of what a school day would be like as a student, who might be in their classes, and who their teachers could be. This helps the seventh graders determine whether Carroll is the right school for them. Students in the newspaper, ambassadors program, National Honor Society, and student council, as well as some other volunteers, introduced the seventh graders to what might be their future high school.
When the 7th graders walked through the cafeteria to begin their experience, they were greeted by Carroll students who cheered them on with pompoms.
“I wanted to meet the 7th graders, to show them how fun Carroll is,” said sophomore Will Wood.
Although Carroll students had no classes on Thursday to accommodate the seventh graders, many came to the building to help with admissions, as homeroom representatives, and as part of the activities committee. Homeroom reps took responsibility for 17-30 students, guiding them to stations throughout the day as well as entertaining them in homeroom, where the seventh graders played games, interacting and socializing with other kids they’d possibly see in high school.
The seventh graders were taken to six stations that were planned to mimic classes they can take on an average day as a Carroll student. Those six stations included lunch and fun time outside on the soccer field, where Mr. Kevin Gallagher, one of Carroll’s gym teachers, made sure there were sports and activities for the kids. The visitors also had a pep rally in the gym.
One of the stations was in Mr. Christopher Maddish’s chemistry class. There, the students learned about an autopsy, performing one on a banana in small groups. The goal was to take the “heart” out of the body, weigh it, and then put the “heart” back in the banana. The “heart” used in the banana was a bean. Once they finished, they sewed it closed.
“It gives them hands on experience,” said Mr. Maddish.
