Parents and kids explore the building and its various activities   

Adria Cooper, Staff Reporter
Originally published March 5, 2020

On Feb. 6, the school opened its doors to prospective students and their parents, allowing them to get a feel for what high school is like. The open house featured clubs and activities tables in the commons, a welcome program in the gym featuring Principal Wynkoop alongside current students, and an opportunity to explore the building.

During the tour of the building, teachers answered questions, choir, band and orchestra performed, and the numerous programs and academies advertised their worth. 

This show case was particularly targeted towards eighth graders as they make their decision on where to go to high school and begin planning their future. So, what did these prospective students think of high school?

The overall consensus of middle school students as stated by Catherine Blaine K-8 school student Catalina Kim, Eagle Staff middle school students Addy Wynkoop and Julia Palmer, and Whitman middle school student Tom Delaney, was that the school is “very big.”

 While navigating the school may seem like no big deal to seasoned high schoolers, these students are coming from schools with populations in the hundreds, to a school with close to 2,000 kids.

Despite some nervousness concerning the size of the school, the open house was successful in gaining interest in attending the school and joining a sport of academy.

 Dylan Wallvlom is a seventh grader at Blaine and is already looking forward to high school. “I really want to meet new friends, join a lot of clubs and play sports; football mainly, but baseball and basketball too,” Wallvlom said.

“We learned a lot about the Biotech Academy. I’m excited about Biotech, it seems really fun. It seems kind of cool that we can have classes with each other for sure,” said Addy Wynkoop and Palmer.

Some students are just excited about the freedom that high school contains like the open campus or  chances to choose classes. For Delaney it is the opportunity to travel.

Overall, the middle schoolers were impressed by the school. “I really like all the students here that are talking to us and I liked how the principal introduced the school,” Wallvlom said. “Its given a good sense of how people interact here. I feel like there is a greater sense of community here than other places,” said Addy Wynkoop.