Assign your students to plan an event designed to introduce junior high school teens to the next step in their education: high school.
Schedule an evening or after-school panel and invite feeder schools from local parishes to hear some information on what to expect from high school. Your students should prepare so they can talk on subjects like the following:
- academics (difficult classes, how much homework to expect, grading scale, types of tests, favorite teachers, etc.)
- extracurricular activities (sports, band, cheerleading, drama, student government, newspaper, yearbook, other clubs, etc.)
- social (how freshman are treated by upperclassmen, the preponderance of drugs and alcohol, how high school students spend weekends, etc.)
Allow plenty of opportunity for the junior high students to dialogue and ask questions.
Your students may wish to combine the panel discussion with a drama, music, or athletic event that is taking place at the high school. Arrange for the junior high students to attend the event either before or after the panel discussion.
