'It's going to be great': New seventh-graders receive warm welcome at Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon | News, Sports, Jobs

For students entering middle school throughout the Alpine School District, summer vacation ended one day early.

To help seventh-graders feel more comfortable in their new environment, the school district is giving them the opportunity to meet their new teachers, faculty, staff and classmates one day before the first official day of school on Thursday, August 15.

The transition to alarm clocks and school bells was met with much energy and excitement as the new seventh graders walked through the doors of Oak Canyon Junior High School in Lindon on Wednesday morning.

Parents dropped off their new students and many made sure to take a photo or video capturing the moment their child took their first steps in a new school. It's an experience that brings with it a range of emotions.

“They're coming from elementary schools that are pretty small,” said Kate Ross, principal of Oak Canyon Junior High. “And yes, they may have had quite a few students at their school, but they've been at this school for seven years, so this is an adjustment.”

A half-dozen elementary schools and a charter school from Lindon and neighboring Orem feed into Oak Canyon Junior High. Ross said the school will enroll about 1,330 students for the 2024-25 school year; just over 400 of those are seventh-graders.

On Wednesday morning, students were greeted at their new middle school by sixth-grade teachers from feeder elementary schools who cheered the students on while high-energy music built anticipation.

In an interactive setting, seventh-graders met with school administrators and counselors to learn more about the school. They also received an overview of their class schedule to get to know their classes and teachers.

Oak Canyon's Student Leadership Coalition, which consists of members of Student Council and the Hope Squad, was also on hand to help the new students feel comfortable in this new chapter. Ross said the student leadership team has about 80 members, all of whom are assigned to a group of students they will work with to build a bond that extends beyond the first few weeks of school.

“We hope that this connection continues throughout the year and that the student council members keep an eye on these 15 seventh graders, if not just during the first few weeks of school, but throughout the year,” Ross said.

Many seventh-graders meet children from other areas and other elementary schools in the hope of making new friends, but cousins ​​Mia and Kinley Yeats experience this transition together.

“I'm obviously a little emotional and have tears in my eyes, but overall I'm excited because she's doing it with her cousin and I'm fine,” said Mia's mother Melanie Yeats.

The two cousins ​​also went to Rocky Mountain Elementary School together and are both looking forward to going to junior high together, Melanie Yeats said.

“She's so excited about school. I think she was fine until we got here (to school), and then she was like, 'I'm nervous.' I was like, 'You're going to be great,'” Melanie said.

Kinley's mother, Shauntae Yeats, expressed similar sentiments about her daughter's feelings on the first day of school, but said she appreciates the efforts to welcome the new students. “She's nervous too, but it's really fun to have her old teachers and principals here cheering her on and so on,” Shauntae said. “I think it's just going to be good for her to get to know different classes and teachers. And, you know, not having to sit in one place. Yeah, she's looking forward to that too and having a little bit more freedom.”

Ross recommends that parents who want to be involved in what's happening at the school stay informed about school events through email, the school's website, social media, weekly newsletters and parent council meetings.

Ultimately, Ross said, parents, faculty and staff share the goal of ensuring students succeed in their education. “We look forward to working with them to provide a great experience for their students,” Ross said.

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