Eyes wide with curiosity, eighth graders stroll through the hallways of CHS9, New Tech High @ Coppell and Coppell High School, taking in the possibilities of the next four years ahead of them.
Shadow Day, which took place from Jan. 23-30, is an opportunity for eighth grade students from Coppell Middle Schools North, West and East to tour the high school campuses in Coppell.
Shadow Day helps address learners’ concerns and introduce them to the high school environment. Rising freshmen are able to interact with and benefit from upperclassmen and see how classes are run at the schools.
“They get an opportunity to walk into the classrooms, not just walk past and think ‘this is an English classroom,’” CMS North language arts teacher Marsha Randall said. “They get to walk in and see what it is that kids are doing in the different classes.”
This year, middle school tours returned to CHS. Teachers allowed the eighth grade students to interact with their classes while they taught.
“I liked that they were actually able to go into the classrooms because they weren’t able to do that at New Tech or at CHS9,” Randall said. “They were able to see not just kids who were a year ahead of them, but they were also able to see how all of those kids were interacting.”
Learning about the high schools and what they have to offer helps students make a more informed choice on which school they choose to attend. CMS North eighth grader Varshini Avula enjoyed learning about the many different clubs, electives and CTE programs CHS offers.
“It definitely helped because high school is such a confusing experience especially from our standpoint as middle schoolers,” Avula said. “Being able to ask high school kids about a lot of these things was really helpful to me because I have no idea what I’m doing.”
As an alternative to CHS, NTH@C can be more beneficial for students who are intimidated by large class sizes. The school offers a close community feel and focuses on student collaboration.
“We’re very very different than CHS9 and CHS,” New Tech Principal Joseph Smith said. “A lot of the time their perception of what we are is a lot different than what it actually is. Sometimes that’s a bit of a surprise because they get here and they’re like, ‘this is smaller, less intimidating.’ They are expected to grow in collaboration and agency.”
New Tech’s goal is to prepare students for the workforce through Project-Based Learning.
“We teach through a lens of project-based learning and so most of these projects can go from a month to a full semester,” Smith said. “They’re trying to solve real world problems. Our Shadow Day is unique in that it’s completely run and planned by our learners. They take them without facilitators necessarily being there and give them the real down low on what it’s like to be here.”
For some rising freshmen, high school can look like a scary and confusing new place. Shadow Day helps alleviate some of the built-up stress many eighth graders face when transitioning into the next part of their academic careers.
“Honestly, I feel like Shadow Day was organized really well,” Avula said. “The transition from middle school to high school is going to be a lot, but in the end I think it’ll be fun and interesting.”
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