‘Going to be awesome:’ Incoming 7th graders get an energetic welcome at Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon
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- Sixth grade teachers from feeder elementary schools welcome seventh graders to Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon on Aug. 14, 2024.
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- A photo shows a folder with art welcoming 7th graders to Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon on Aug. 14, 2024.
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- A photo taken Aug. 14, 2024 shows incoming seventh graders on the first day of school at Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon.
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- Sixth grade teachers from feeder elementary schools welcome seventh graders to Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon on Aug. 14, 2024.
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- A welcome sign for 7th graders at Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon is shown on Aug. 14, 2024.
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- A photo taken Aug. 14, 2024 shows incoming seventh graders on the first day of school at Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon.
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- A photo taken Aug. 14, 2024 shows incoming seventh graders on the first day of school at Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon.
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- Oak Canyon Jr. High Principal Kate Ross meets with new 7th graders on the first day of school on Aug. 14, 2024.
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- Sixth grade teachers from feeder elementary schools welcome seventh graders to Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon on Aug. 14, 2024.
Summer break ended a day early for students entering junior high throughout the Alpine School District.
To help seventh-grade students feel more at ease in entering their new environment, the district gives them the chance to meet their new teachers, faculty, staff and classmates a day ahead of the first official day of school, which is Thursday, Aug. 15.
Re-adjusting to the alarm and school bells came with a spark of energy and excitement on Wednesday morning as incoming seventh graders walked through the doors of Oak Canyon Junior High School in Lindon.
Parents dropped their incoming students off, with many making sure to get a photo or video capturing the moment their child took their first steps into a new school. It’s an experience that comes with varying emotions.
“They’re coming from elementary schools that are pretty contained,” said Kate Ross, principal at Oak Canyon Junior High. “And yeah, they may have had quite a few students at their school, but they’ve been in that school for seven years, and so this is an adjustment.”
Half a dozen elementary schools and one charter school from both Lindon and neighboring Orem feed into Oak Canyon Junior High. Ross said the school is projected to have an enrollment of around 1,330 students for the 2024-25 school year; a little more than 400 of those are seventh graders.
On Wednesday morning, students were welcomed to their new junior high by sixth-grade teachers from feeder elementary schools who cheered the students on while energetic music boosted the excitement.
Seventh graders met with administrators and counselors in an interactive setting to learn about the school. They also got a run-through of their schedule to get acquainted with their classes and teachers.
Oak Canyon’s Student Leadership coalition, made up of student council members and the Hope Squad, was also on hand to help the new students feel comfortable going into this new chapter. Ross said the Student Leadership team has about 80 members, with all assigned to a set of students they will work with to create a bond that goes beyond the first few weeks of school.
“The hope is that this connection will last for the whole year, that these student leadership members will have these 15 seventh graders that they kind of check on, if not just for the first few weeks of school, but for the whole year,” Ross said.
For many seventh graders, they’re meeting kids from other areas and different elementary schools with the hope of making new friends, but for cousins Mia and Kinley Yeats, they are getting to experience the transition together.
“I’m a little emotional, for sure, just pulling back with tears, but overall excited because she’s doing it with her cousin, so it makes me feel better,” said Mia’s mother Melanie Yeats.
The two cousins also went to Rocky Mountain Elementary School together, and both are stoked to continue into junior high as a pair, Melanie Yeats said.
“She’s so excited about school. I think she was fine till we got in here (to the school), and then she was like, I’m nervous. I’m like, you’re gonna be great,” Melanie said.
Kinley’s mother Shauntae Yeats shared a similar sentiment about how her daughter felt about the first day of school but said she appreciates the efforts to welcome incoming students. “She is nervous too, but this is really fun, that they have their old teachers and principals here to cheer them on and everything,” Shauntae said. “I think it’s just going (to be good) for her to experience different classes and teachers. And, you know, not having to sit in one space. Yeah, she’s excited about that too, and having a little bit more freedom.”
Ross encourages parents who’d like to be involved in what’s happening at the school to stay apprised via emails, the school’s website, social media, weekly newsletters and PTA meetings.
Ultimately, she said that parents, school faculty and staff all share the common goal of making sure students thrive in their education. “We look forward to partnering with them to help their students have a great experience,” Ross said.
