To get eighth graders used to the new environment they’ll be facing in the upcoming fall, middle schools visited campus on Jan. 30, 2025. This annual event, designed to help incoming freshmen become more comfortable, allows them to tour the high school, ask questions and gain insights into what to expect. The mentor program plays a crucial role in guiding the eighth graders through this process, offering support and advice from experienced students.

The mentors, having gained this experience from their freshman small groups this year, will be confident in their abilities to introduce the eighth graders into this new chapter of their lives. Despite the delay due to the unexpected weather day, Mentors say they are just as anticipated to this event as they were prior.

“I am so excited,” Senior Mentor Allison Spears said. “I was kinda sad they postponed it, but unfortunately we can’t really do much about it.”

The four middle schools to visit were Rudder, Connally, Stevenson and Neff. Apart from Rudder, all schools had attended tours from other high schools prior. According to the middle school teachers, this one was one of the most well received from students and staff chaperones. 

“I thought it went well,” mentor sponsor Blain Meador said. “But when I got home, I was contacted by a lot of people from the middle schools and my opinions from that got even better because those staff just went on and on about how welcoming the mentors were and how welcoming everybody on campus was.”

The mentors’ warm and friendly approach helped ease any nerves, creating an inviting atmosphere for the eighth graders. Their enthusiasm and support made a lasting impression, leaving the students not only feeling welcomed but also excited about the new experiences that await them in high school.

“But the most important thing is when they were on the busses going back, they were talking about Marshall and going to Marshall and being excited about high school, which really, at the end of the day, that’s what the whole tour is supposed to be about—is to get them excited about coming here,” Meador said. “They were talking about what they were going to be involved in and all that stuff and the people that they met.”

The eighth graders responded positively to the tour, sharing their thoughts on the upcoming transition to high school. Meador noted that the volume and enthusiasm of the feedback stood out compared to previous years.

“To be honest, I haven’t received those kinds of messages before, like the middle schools reaching out to us like that,” Meador said. “So that was kind of new and cool.”

While mentors played a part in the success of the tour, they weren’t the only ones contributing to the process. 

“There were a lot of people involved that day,” Meador said. “All of the fine arts that performed, theater, tech people, all of the CTE teachers that put out flyers or welcomed us to their classrooms. That’s a really important part of the day, too.”

With these added contributions, the opening pep rally, compared to previous years, was a lot more organized.

“That had everything to do with Mr. Sanchez, Roman being the MC and having theater people who were willing to do that kind of thing,” Meador said. “We kind of upped our game there, but that had very little to do with the mentor program and more to do with our fine arts. Those guys did a really, really good job.”

While the event involves collaboration from various school staff, mentors feel their role is especially important in helping eighth graders feel at ease. 

“I think it’s important for the mentors to be the one to show them around, ” Spears said. “Of course, it would’ve been cool if the office aides did it too, but I feel like we are the students that I would say have the most experience with incoming freshmen, for now in a way. Not only were we all once incomers, but we also had to help this year’s freshmen when they came.”

Meador said that having older students lead the tour was more effective than adult-led tours, as it allowed the eighth graders to relate more easily and gain a firsthand perspective on high school life. 

“If we’re being honest, eighth graders are going to listen to an 18-year-old a lot more than they’re going to listen to their teachers or other adults, and that’s just a fact of life,” Meador said. “So knowing that, having the best, most successful, kind, empathetic—having those people do the tour, is a no brainer because they’re just gonna listen more.”

The mentors played a key role in motivating the eighth graders to explore various activities, helping to shape their high school experience and inspiring them to get involved in ways they hadn’t considered before.

“Mentors share the organizations they’re a part of, and I’m 100% certain that some conversation that somebody had with a mentor yesterday encouraged them to sign up for a class or certain program,” Meador said. “So I’m positive that the direction of someone’s high school life yesterday changed because of an interaction they had with a mentor. And that’s awesome; that’s what it’s all about.”