A warm welcome: American Fork High teachers build connections with incoming sophomores via home visits
-
- From left, teachers Aaron Behm and Jason Herrud talk with Joy Thornton, a sophomore at American Fork High School, and her mother, Becca, during a door-to-door campaign to welcome new students to high school Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
-
- American Fork High School teachers Jason Herrud, left, and Aaron Behm, right, pose for a photo in the school’s parking lot ahead of a door-to-door campaign to welcome new sophomore students to high school Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
-
- Teachers Jason Herrud, left, and Aaron Behm, right, talk with Kenadi Whiteley, a sophomore at American Fork High School, during a door-to-door campaign to welcome new students to high school Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
-
- American Fork High School teachers and administrators pose for a photo during a visit with an incoming sophomore student, as part of a door-to-door campaign to welcome new students to high school on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
-
- American Fork High School teachers Jason Herrud, left, and Aaron Behm, right, visit homes of incoming sophomores during a door-to-door campaign to welcome new students to high school Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
-
- American Fork High School teachers and administrators pose for a photo during a visit with an incoming sophomore student, as part of a door-to-door campaign to welcome new students to high school on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
-
- A box filled with gift bags intended for incoming sophomores at American Fork High School were given out during a door-to-door campaign to welcome new students to high school Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
-
- Teacher Jason Herrud talks with Joy Thornton, a sophomore at American Fork High School, and her mother, Becca, during a door-to-door campaign to welcome new students to high school Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
The jump from junior high school to high school can prompt a feeling of uneasiness for incoming students, especially as the first day of class begins to approach.
However, teachers and administrators at American Fork High School on Thursday got an early start at breaking the ice for hundreds of incoming sophomores.
In a first for the school, faculty members divided up into groups and ventured out with gifts in hand across 47 different routes within the school’s boundaries to personally visit the homes of new sophomores and welcome them to high school.
The Daily Herald tagged along with teachers Aaron Behm and Jason Herrud, who were tasked with visiting 17 homes along their route in the northeast portion of American Fork.
Herrud said he’s done home visits in the past, but this is the first year the school has decided to visit the entire incoming sophomore class.
“We’re trying to make sure everyone feels seen, heard and welcome them in,” he said. “We know from junior high to high school, it can feel like kind of a big (and) scary step.”
Joy Thornton, an incoming sophomore at American Fork High, and her mother, Becca, were one of the families to receive the surprising visit Thursday morning.
For Joy, as the first day of school is now just days away, she expressed a mix of emotions about starting high school.
“I’m a little nervous about it, but excited at the same time,” she said.
Her mother said that Joy is the youngest of her children preparing to enter high school. While she’s excited for her daughter’s new chapter in education, Becca said it also signals that Joy is growing up.
“It’s tugging at my heart strings a little bit,” Becca said.
Kenadi Whiteley, another incoming sophomore, said she’s looking forward to transitioning from American Fork Junior High to the high school campus, but also admitted to being a tad nervous about it.
“I’m excited to get out of junior high but I think it’s a little nerve-wracking, since I’m the oldest and I don’t have any siblings that have been there,” she said. “But I think it’ll be fun.”
Whiteley said she is excited about the added freedom that high school provides and being enrolled in a child development class, which some of her friends are also taking.
“I work with a lot of kids,” she said. “I babysit, I coach, (and) I think (working with) kids is just a fun thing.”
Each student was given a bag full of swag and welcome gifts courtesy of American Fork High School. Teachers and staff offered to answer any questions that students or their families may have, as well as offered a reminder about the school’s upcoming “Caveman Kick Off” back to school night on Monday.
Behm said the visits served as a way to build a personal connection with new students, and help incoming sophomores feel at ease entering into what can be an intimidating new world.
“I think it’s nice for kids to know if somebody’s looking for them on the first day of school and somebody’s expecting them on the first day of school,” he told the Daily Herald. “If somebody knows their name already, hopefully that helps get rid of some of those first day butterflies.”
According to Cole Perry, assistant principal at American Fork High School, their staff members visited the homes of just over 720 incoming sophomores Thursday.
Perry said the campaign aligns with one of the school’s goals, which is to boost the number of students who feel connected to adults and peers at AFHS.
“The transition from junior high to high school is a significant one, and we recognize the importance of helping students feel welcomed and supported,” he said in a statement. “To support this goal, we visited the homes of our incoming sophomores to personally welcome them, make meaningful connections, and provide them with some familiar faces as they begin their high school journey.”
The bell rings at American Fork High School to kick off the 2025-26 school year next Wednesday.
