Incoming Freshmen Attend 8th Grade Information Night
At the beginning of the parent night, attendees gather at the cafeteria. After Mrs. Browning welcomed everybody, six seniors took turns giving advice and recounting their high school experiences.
To demonstrate the orchestra program, Mr. Justin Anderson plays viola. Mr. Anderson is the Associate Orchestra Director at Westwood.
Ms. Stephanie Childress explains the IB Diploma Programme to a parent.
Representing AFJROTC, Chase Short ’20 hands out souvenirs. In 9th grade, AFJROTC students take Aerospace Science I.
Annabelle Hicks ’20 introduces an 8th grade student to theater. The theater arts program branches out into theatre production, musical theatre, and technical theatre.
Helena Greebe ’20 speaks to a parent about the computer science program at Westwood. During the parent night, separate breakout sessions for more information on computer science courses were held outside the gym.
Mr. Craig Wilmot introduces the Digital Electronics course to 8th grade students and parents. Available for 11th and 12th graders, the Digital Electronics course focuses on circuit design and use.
Shreyes Kaliyur ’20, Rohan Polavaram ‘21, and Rohan Dange ’21 show off a robot to introduce the robotics courses. A poster at the booth displayed the robotics course path, beginning with the freshman Principles of Robotics class.
Anna Mikhayluts ’22 and Miranda Ward ’22 talk to an 8th-grader about the Animation course path. Animation falls under the Business & Industry Academy.
Bryce Keeler ’21, Vaishnavi Marreddy ’22, and Shawkin Kabir ’21 take a photo together. During the event, Keeler, Marreddy, and Kabir handed out flyers informing parents and students of the debate breakout session.
Alma Zirojevic ’21 and Zachary DeLane ’20 answer questions about graphic design. For incoming freshmen, Digital Media is a prerequisite class for the Graphic Design strand of courses.
Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Mr. Anthony Wood listens to a parent’s question. Throughout the night, a long line of parents and students waited to ask Mr. Wood questions.
Seniors Brandon Quin and Joyce Zhuang sit at the orchestra booth in the gym. Quin and Zhuang are both in the Westwood Symphony Orchestra.
Throughout the night, Anika Nagji ’21 and Hugh Trisnadi ’21 hand out information sheets about the Business and Industry Academy. The B&I Academy includes course paths such as business management, journalism, debate, and architectural design.
Ms. Karina Kinsey explains the Drone Aviation course to a parent. Drone Aviation is a new course path available to students beginning next school year.
Kayla Bui ’21 and Jenny Han Tran ’20 describe the art program to interested students. At the parent night, Bui and Tran handed out pamphlets with information about the visual arts classes.
Incoming freshmen and their parents attended the annual 8th-grade information night on Friday, Feb. 5 in the cafetorium to learn about specific classes and endorsements that are provided here at Westwood.
At the start of the evening, parents and students were encouraged to join upperclassmen in the cafeteria. Current juniors and seniors discussed what their transition to high school was like, and gave advice on what students and parents can do to make their progress easier.
“I would say don’t stress out too much about where other [students] are going,” Anika Nagji ‘21 said. “You don’t have the same interests as they do, so it wouldn’t get you anywhere going into a completely different path.”
Later that night in the big gymnasium, the parents and students were able to walk around and ask questions at certain booths related to different electives and organizations. These included core classes, world languages, electives, athletics, school clubs, and International Bachelorette (IB) programs.
“I’m going to take Biomedical science [next year] because I kind of want to be a doctor,” Alek Mesarovic ‘24 said. “They do a lot more dissections than regular science, and that could be useful in the future.”
While students walked around the fair, others attended academic breakout sessions at various locations throughout the school. In these sessions, teachers discussed English, Social Studies, Spanish, Math, Debate, Computer Science, Engineering, Piano, ACC Dual Credit, and plans for graduation. Teachers also discussed Round Rock ISD graduation requirements in order to obtain one’s high school diploma.
“I’m really interested in taking Musical Theatre, Dance, and Choir because i’ve just been doing it since I was like six,” Kayla Contello ‘24 said. “It’s something I find a lot of fun and I really wanted to try it.”
At the end of the evening, students and parents joined back in the cafetorium with Principal Dr. Mario Acosta for his closing presentation. Dr. Acosta talked to the audience about finding the best path as a student and what to expect when becoming a freshman.
Lastly, students were greatly encouraged to attend the upcoming fishbowl dance orientation to have a night of welcoming fun. This event will be held in August, the Friday before school starts.
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