By Shivali Shah, Co-Editor In Chief
With the 2024-2025 school year drawing to a close, the freshman Class of 2029 is soon to make an appearance in the halls of River Hill. Eager to get a glimpse of the next four years, 8th grade students from all over the district streamed into the school to learn more about the excitement and opportunity offered here.
The 8th grade visit is an annual tradition that allows the incoming freshman class to learn more about the opportunities available to them during their final four years of grade school. Organizations, from sports like volleyball and ice hockey to clubs like RHHS Make a Wish and Hawks Help Paws, set up stations in both the auxiliary and main gyms to showcase their activities and recruit new members. Additionally, performances from groups like the Dance Company and the Step Team take place in the auditorium, so that the Class of 2029 can truly immerse themselves in the culture of River Hill.
For many of the different activities represented at the 8th grade visit, the preparations were minimal. “We already have a tri-fold made, so we just worked on making it a bit better, adding some things to it,” junior Sophia Chudnovsky, a representative for the Hawks Fight Hunger Club, explains. “We also had to make sure there were no QR codes on it because of the new policies. But besides that, not too much prep since we can’t give anything out.” These changes to the visit’s rules are new this year, influenced by both the recently implemented HCPSS policies and the event’s new management under River Hill Vice Principal Ms. Jawhar.
The recent cellphone ban in Howard County schools prevents the visiting 8th graders from scanning QR codes provided by clubs and sports or taking photos of the various displays. Additionally, participating organizations are prohibited from distributing any food or drink to the 8th graders, in order to reduce the potential for messes in the gyms and auditorium. Clubs are also no longer allowed to collect any personal information from the 8th graders, including emails and names, which were previously used for recruitment purposes.
For junior Eri Omitowoju, these new changes “made it hard to sell the club. You couldn’t get any of the 8th graders’ information so [I couldn’t] send them information about the club, and I know for other clubs that was a really big issue as well. You [also] couldn’t have QR codes, so the 8th graders couldn’t access your instagram or anything, because they can’t scan with their phone. And we couldn’t give them candy or food and that might seem like it’s a reasonable thing but sometimes that’s what can sell a club.”
Despite the challenges club representatives faced during the visits, many still feel that the event was vital for the success and enrichment of the incoming freshman class. “I think it’s really important because when you’re coming to the school as a new student, whether you’re coming with a hundred of your peers or maybe only thirty, it’s really important to find your community. And there’s lots of different opportunities for that between club, sports and music,” Chudnovsky explains. “But since there’s so much, it can be overwhelming. So it’s good for them to let some ideas marinate over the summer, so that they know what opportunities they have, and then they can really decide what they want to sign up for in the fall.”
These benefits were evident to the visiting Class of 2029 as well, with many students reflecting on how the visit helped them acclimate to their new school. 8th grader Nishant Shah details the advantages he felt he experienced during the visit, “It allowed me to see all the activities I can be a part of and also the attitudes of all the students [at River Hill.] It also showed me the type of learning environment I’d have in the years to come.”
Overall, the event served as the perfect opportunity for future Hawks to get a sense of their next four years of school. Gaining insight into the world of River Hill and being exposed to the endless possibilities offered here may be just the first step to their journeys as freshman, but it’s sure to ensure their success in the long term.