Orientation eases kids' first-day jitters

By Diane Huber | Lacey Today • Published September 05, 2007

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A new school year starts today, and for 1,070 incoming seventh-graders, it's a big transition.

We all remember the butterflies: Walking into the cafeteria and scanning anxiously for a familiar face. Worrying about getting lost in the maze of hallways. Keeping track of multiple teachers and binders and homework assignments.

Nisqually Middle School hoped to ease the first-day jitters with an orientation last week.

About 225 incoming seventh-graders were greeted by a flood of energetic eighth-graders eager to make them feel at home.

Last week was the school's annual orientation - called WEB, or Where Everybody Belongs - part of a national program that includes lots of getting-to-know-you and team-building games.

"When they come on the first day, they know names, faces," said Nisqually counselor Jim McGibbon. "It gets that connection going early, so kids feel like they belong here."

First-day anxieties

The seventh-graders were on the quiet side last week, migrating toward familiar faces from their elementary school.

Eighth-grader Kiani Tarape, one of the WEB leaders who helped facilitate the day's activities, remembered worrying about making friends.

"I didn't think I was going to know anybody. I didn't know if people were going to judge me or not. Some of your friends are moving, and you're not going to see them anymore," she said.

Her tip to incoming seventh-graders: "You'll make new friends ... Just be yourself."

The seventh-graders listed several things they were nervous about.

Jasmyn Roundtree, 12, was less worried about making friends than getting lost in such a big school.

Miracle Yando, 12, agreed, wondering if there would be enough time to get from one class to another.

Tyler Myer, 12, said he mostly was looking forward to the coming year and the extra freedoms he'd have in middle school.

"I'm feeling really excited. I'm going to be in middle school, finally," he said. "I'm excited to change classes. In elementary school, we were normally in one class."

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