Do you remember transitioning to a new school or making the jump from fifth to sixth grade? Almost everyone has been wary of such new beginnings, so Head of Middle School Mr. Charles Hagy infused some laughter into the Middle School Preview Night held on the evening of October 28. To put the current fifth graders and their families at ease,  Hagy told all the boys to stand up and repeat the following: “I am going to take dance,” a reference to the dance spoke of the sixth-grade wheel. In addition, this year’s Preview Night, an annual event for fifth-grade families, is most likely the first to ever have bananas, grapes, and an “Emperor of Evil” attending. Three fifth-grade students stated during the evening’s presentation that they were going to dress up as those entities for the Halloween this year.

The event is held each year to help make the transition from Lower to Middle School easier for students and their families. Of course, there was still some anxiety amongst the fifth graders prior to the program. Fifth grader Bella Weisser explained that she was concerned about Middle School “being a little bit harder because I feel that Middle School teachers expect more of us.”

However, Mr. Hagy did his best to make the fifth graders feel welcome as he and Head of School Mr. Robert Goldberg kicked off the evening in the Barker Performing Arts Center by discussing the exciting opportunities offered in the Middle School. The night then continued as the parents split up into four groups and attended four different sessions in the quad. Each session informed students and their parents about specific aspects of middle school life. In room 43, Mrs. Poncy, the Lower/Middle School’s director of student services, and Ms. Benvenuto, student services coordinator, were joined by other faculty members to inform families about student life and student support.

In room 44, the Middle School Student Council participated as a panel to help the rising sixth graders with their concerns, answering questions and discussing the highlights and challenges of Middle School.

Assistant Head of for Academics Mr. Kendall Didsbury and Arts Department Chair Ms. Nancy McAllister were joined by faculty in room 45 where they discussed the division’s athletic and artistic programs and offerings. In room 46, the academic department chairs offered insight into the academic program.

The transition is actually a “natural progression” according to Mr. Hagy. The eighth graders had a preview night on Monday, October 26 to introduce them to the Upper School, part of the School’s mission to make transitions easier.

After cycling through the rooms, the fifth-grade students and parents, even those parents who have had other children matriculate through the Middle School, seemed to have benefitted from the event. Mrs. Jeanine Holland, a current lower school teacher who has children in ninth grade and fifth grade, stated, “I have an older daughter who was in the Middle School; she’s now in ninth grade. She had a wonderful experience here. I actually learned a lot of things [tonight] I didn’t know before even though my daughter was here.”

The Middle School Preview Night introduced the rising sixth graders to next year’s teachers and also assisted them and their families by assuaging their fears. “I feel a little bit better about the Middle School, now I know more about everything and about the homework,” shared fifth grader Jonathan Skatoff. “ I know what I have to do at home and if I don’t have enough time, I can go see a teacher for help.”