On Thursday, November 20th, Mountain Ridge held their annual Future Freshmen Night. This night welcomes 8th graders who plan on attending Ridge the following school year to explore the campus and its programs. 

First, the night starts with a presentation held at the Ridge football field. The student speakers advise the new students to get involved on campus and have fun in high school. Then the pom and cheerleader teams took the field and performed their routines, followed by the 4-time repeat state champion band to perform Band Yell, Hay Song, and the Mountain Ridge fight song to wrap up the presentation.

This event helps promote many CTE (Career and Technical Education) and fine arts classes, helping new students with class registration for the upcoming school year. The theater performed the song D.O.A. from their recent musical, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, sung by sophomore Abbi Moreno, as well as various other solos sung by the cast. Abbi Moreno, who plays Charon in Percy Jackson, says that she enjoyed seeing everyone out there and hopes more people will join Ridge’s theater program next year. 

Many future freshmen mentioned sports as an exciting activity for the soon-to-be high schoolers. Izabella Smith, a current 8th grader at Terramar, says she likes the environment with sports and clubs and is looking forward to trying out for flag football and volleyball this upcoming school year.

Also, many mentioned clubs as activities that excited them in high school. FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, seems to be popular among the new class. Current Hillcrest 8th graders, Brooklyn Brill, Scarlett Ezell, and Jasmine Higuera, all showed interest in joining the club. The marketing and DECA room also seemed to be busy the whole night. Many students were curious about the club, like current Terramar student Hudson Pizinger, who mentioned his interest in signing up for the class in the upcoming school year. 

Overall, the night is a welcoming experience to encourage students to make the most out of their high school years, explore the campus, and learn more about the programs here. So, for the Class of 2030, Ridge welcomes you.