Starting high school can be nerve racking. Students have to worry about getting to the right place at the right time, making friends, focusing on academics, sports, and so much more, but thankfully at Morgan, incoming freshmen have STEP to make them feel more at ease for their first day. Keri Hagness, Morgan’s principal, has already begun the planning process to help the incoming freshmen for the class of 2029 smoothly transition into high school.
What is STEP?
STEP is The Morgan School’s version of a freshmen orientation. Instead of packing everything into one day, STEP is spread across 3 shorter days of about 4 hours of activities each day packed with plenty of spirit and energy. STEP is more than just learning how to open your locker or find certain classrooms around the school, but it’s designed to show students what it means to be a part of the Morgan community.
Stephanie Davis, math teacher and STEP coordinator, said “by the end of the third day, you will feel like a member of the Morgan community, as long as you’re open to trying everything and being involved.”
What to expect
A typical daily schedule includes activities and discussions with your smaller classroom groups, larger assemblies with the whole school, and other varieties of activities planned by both students and staff.
Throughout each day, all freshmen are assigned to a “Husky Buddy”, an upperclassman who helps to guide them through all three days.
Spirit is a big part of Morgan and STEP. Each day has a theme to introduce the importance of school spirit. The final day is “Color Out”, where students dress head to toe in their class color. “My favorite part about STEP was the last day, when everyone was head to toe in green. I could feel the energy and it was such a fun experience, said current freshmen, Zoe Onofrio.
Preparation for next year
Planning for next year’s STEP has already begun. Davis and Hagness have already invited current students to apply as volunteers. They are looking for responsible and positive students to support the freshmen and have fun in the right moments. During the summer, Davis and Hagness will continue to plan out groups and lay out the scheduling for the program. Last year, 120 volunteers were involved in STEP as husky buddy’s, husky leaders, and assistant teachers. There are also students on the media team involved to take pictures and videos throughout the week. 140 students filled out the form to help for this upcoming year.
Recently, an email survey was sent out to all classes for anyone who would be interested in volunteering for STEP. The survey was a few simple questions about why you think STEP is important and why you think you would be a good candidate for participating in the program.
Hagness and Davis will carefully read each form to select the perfect role for the incoming freshmen. Onofrio said “Having the opportunity to interact with upper classmen before the first day of school had helped me feel so much more welcomed and supported”.
Current sophomore, Emerson Dunning, who is volunteering as a photographer for part of the media team said “After feeling so welcomed at STEP during my freshman year, I wanted to come back to be able to give that same support to incoming freshmen who may be feeling nervous too.”
For many students and staff, the STEP program is a highlight of the school year. Davis exclaimed, “my favorite thing is getting the chance to give the freshmen a good first impression of Morgan because first impressions are important”.
