Freshmen at James Monroe High School were serenaded by trumpets, trombones and a tuba Monday morning as they made their way into the lobby of their new school.
Past the marching band, teachers navigated crowds with water bottles and coffee cups in hand to welcome the new faces who get the school — and staff — to themselves for the first day.
Transition Day is now part of the regular calendar for most students in the greater Fredericksburg region. For the city, plus Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, the first day of school is reserved for incoming kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade students.
Marcus Petty, James Monroe’s principal, greeted students at the door around 7:15 a.m. with a hello and a fist bump. This is the second year the school has held a transition day.
“It’s helpful for the kids because coming from middle school when you’re at that eighth-grade level, you feel like you have mastered the middle school level,” said Petty, “that you’ve done sixth, seventh and eighth already. But then you’re starting over again at ninth grade and you’re in an unfamiliar building. You don’t know anyone in terms of teachers, and there’s also 10th, 11th and 12th graders that you’re going to get to meet as well.”
Petty views transition days as a time for students to learn the layout of a building, hear what the expectations are, and meet their teachers. “So now,” he said, “students feel welcome and ready for the day when everyone comes back and it’s not so overwhelming.”
The soft start gives students transitioning to a new building the opportunity to spot classmates they already know and to meet teachers and staff before the regular first day of school.
JM freshman Jude Hardy admitted he would rather be back in bed than surrounded by backpacks and binders.
“I’m trying to have a positive mindset,” he said. “But I’m excited to learn and see people I didn’t see over the summer.”
Spotsylvania County holds its transition day on Aug. 9.
“I feel like it will help me find my classes before the hallways are crowded. I wish I had it when I was in 6th grade,” said Kylie Platenik, an incoming freshman at Massaponax High School. “I am looking forward to it being less crowded or scary because I hate crowds. It will be weird without my older brother though. He should have to get up early, too.”
For homeschooled students, transition day is often their introduction to public schools. Avaughn Powell is going to be a ninth grader at Massaponax after being homeschooled. His mom, Mercedees Delcid, said she appreciates transition day as a parent.
“Having the school to themselves, where they can be acquainted with their actual peers is awesome to me. I wish we had that even when I was a kid,” she said. “They get the one-on-one time and attention from teachers, and this eliminates nerves and anxieties.”
For incoming kindergartners, transition day is a day of learning new routines. Chloe Green’s son Daniel will be attending Grafton Elementary. Green says transition day is helpful for both of them. “It will be my first time navigating the car pickup and drop-off line,” she said. “Daniel’s looking forward to PE and recess the most. He’s always asking about exercise… and is tickled pink to get more activity.”
Being the youngest sometimes often means being the smallest on a school campus. For Cecilia Fulton’s son, Gideon, having a day by himself at Salem Elementary came as a relief.
“He gets a little nervous around bigger kids, so he is excited for his transition day,” she said. “He said, ‘phew!’ when I explained that there wouldn’t be older kids on his first day. I think it’s a great idea and I hope other school systems adopt this practice.”
In Stafford County, transition day is Aug. 12. Stafford School Board member Maureen Siegmund and her children are already preparing for a busy new school year. Her daughters Emma and Anastasia start after transition day this year but say it was an invaluable way to start school.
“Transition day greatly relieved my first-day jitters,” recalled Emma, a rising eighth grader. “Getting to meet my classmates the day before made it a lot less stressful going forward, especially knowing that there were familiar faces in all my classes.”
Anastasia, who will be a junior this year, remembers transition days as a better preparation for her classes than a one-off back-to-school night event. “It really helped to know that everyone else was as new as I was, and it gave me a chance to answer all the questions I had. I was able to ask teachers as many questions as I needed without worrying that other students would be judgmental, since they were probably wondering the same thing.”
A student examines their new Yondr pouch.
Back at James Monroe High School, students were given their Yondr pouches in which to store their cell phones. Changing policies regarding cell phones is another source of apprehension among students and administrators.
Jude Hardy thinks it will make things better — eventually. “
I think school will run more smoothly, we’ll be able to learn a lot better. People will be able to connect better, but it’s definitely tough,” he said. “Last year I could be on my phone as much as I wanted. There’s definitely going to be a learning curve.”
Hardy said he found out about Governor Youngkin’s statewide policy long before his peers, thanks to his time as Head Page at the Virginia State Capitol.
“It’s not my favorite thing, but I know it’s good for me. Like school,” he said.
