Transition Day helps students settle into new environments

The Steel Valley High School Class of 2029 is officially in the building!

Freshmen made the move from the middle school portion of the building over to the high school on Friday, August 22 as part of Transition Day 2025. The annual event is designed to help students make the jump from middle school to high school, where more responsibilities, more opportunities, and a more rigorous academic workload awaits.

After meeting with Principal Mr. John Strom, the ninth graders were split into groups and guided around the building by current Steel Valley High School students. These upperclassmen served as mentors and sounding boards for the freshmen if they had any questions along the way.

Each group spent time with the math, science, social studies, and language arts departments, meeting the teachers in each discipline while learning more about the courses they'll take this year as well as the ones available to them down the road. Each department had some activities set up for the students, allowing them to get to know each other while also preparing them to start using the skills and tools they'll need in high school.

The science department brought out their famous fuzzy pipe cleaners and challenged the students to work together to create identical shapes. It was a demonstration of how important it is in science to follow the right steps when conducting an experiment. The Language Arts team posed a challenge that required planning and clear communication, while the Social Studies department quizzed the students on their civics knowledge.

The students also learned more about the electives available to them as well as the activities and athletics offered at the high school level.

Meanwhile, fifth graders spent the day exploring their new surroundings over at the middle school as they prepared for the big jump from elementary school. The fifth graders had time to meet their homeroom teachers, learn about the middle school schedule, understand the expectations of being in middle school, and figure their way around the building without the hustle and bustle of the rest of the middle school being in the building. 

After meeting Principal Mr. Clay Stone, students were able to settle into their new homerooms and meet their core subject teachers. The students also were able to learn a lot more about specials like art, music, physical education, tech, and more. They made emoji faces to express how they're feeling about their first day, and one group with a few upcoming birthdays received a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" from Mr. Roberts and Mr. Petricca in the music room!

Pre-K and Kindergarten students also had Transition Day on Friday to help them prepare for the first day of school on Monday, August 25.