Freshman Orientation for the Class of 2021

From a Freshman’s perspective

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John Boyle, class of 2018

The new freshman sit awaiting their house assignment.

Patrick Boyle '21, Staff Writer

Freshman orientation for the class of 2021 took place on August 24, 2017. I went into the day very nervous, but also very excited about all of the new friends I would make, and the new opportunities I would be given. I was very fortunate to have my older brother, Jack, already at Sallies. Being a senior, he helped make my transition to high school much smoother, and helped let me know what to actually expect. We drove to school that morning and arrived at 8:30. The very first thing I did was get my ID and school picture taken. After the pictures, we got to change out of our shirt and jacket and find our lockers. This was a big change for me because I had never used a locker before in school, and didn’t know how to unlock one. After I learned my combination, we went down to the cafeteria and were served breakfast breakfast.
Following breakfast, we all took our seats in the gymnasium to be sorted into our different houses. The “draft” was an awesome experience, and having all of the upperclassmen cheer for you as you come forward to receive your house shirt was something I’ll never forget. I was very excited to be put into the Rosaio house. I was handed my shirt, and got to see what other classmates were in my house and homeroom. We then went to the lower field and did many team-building activities with our house, and even competed against the other houses. My personal favorite game was the Rock Paper Scissors competition against the other houses. After the outdoor activities, we all went inside and celebrated mass.
After mass and lunch, we were given our schedules and got to walk around to try to find our classrooms. This was extremely helpful because I didn’t have to worry about finding my way around on the first day. We then got to hear from the guidance counselors and some other faculty members. One of my favorite parts of the day was the house competition in the gym. We played and cheered for games such as bubble soccer and a pie eating contest. During the games, everyone was super excited and enthusiastic, cheering on their teammates from their new house. After the conclusion of the games, we all went outside to eat dinner in the back parking lot. After dinner we went back into the gym and met our parents. We sat in the bleachers while one student from each house talked about their day, and gave a little bit of history about their house. Alas, our day had finally come to an end, and it was surely a memorable one. It gave me a clear picture of what the next four years would be like at Salesianum, and got me very excited to be a member of the class of 2021.