By Emeralde O’Donnell
Robert Bateman Secondary student
One of the biggest transitions in a young student’s life is the transition from the comfort of middle school to the unknown world of secondary school. At Robert Bateman Secondary, this transition is made a little easier. One of Robert Bateman’s vice-principals, Bruce Campbell, along with other Bateman and Clayburn Middle School staff have formed a new team for this very purpose.
Throughout the school year, the Grade 8 Transitions Team works with Grade 8 students from Clayburn Middle in order to prepare them and help make their move to Robert Bateman a little more comfortable and a little less scary. Fun opportunities are given to Clayburn’s senior students in order to make them feel more at ease in the school they will be attending the following year. These opportunities include coming to Bateman basketball games and pep rallies, as well as attending, and even participating in, the year-end Bateman Idol Competition.
The Transitions Team also helps get elementary school students excited for high school. Every February, the Grade 5s, who will one day transition to Bateman, have a fun day at Bateman. They get to spend the day playing games such as a scavenger hunt, and eating tasty free food. To top it off, the students are given a Bateman T-shirt.
In March and April, the Transitions Team is working with the Clayburn Middle senior students as they begin making course selections for the following school year. As this can be an exciting but potentially overwhelming process, the guidance that the Transitions Team offers helps the students make these choices more smoothly.
The transition to high school can be nerve-wracking. Students go from having one teacher too many, and the new environment forces them to gain a lot more independence very quickly. Although, according to Bateman counsellor Jennifer Crockett, the Grade 8s tend to act “cool about it,” the Grade 8 Transitions is a very helpful and amazing opportunity for students.
Especially when accompanied by the support of a parent, the Transitions Team’s measures contribute to the success of new Bateman students, and subsequently the success of the school itself.