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gibault hosts special events for freshmen, parents

Story by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

Going into high school can make incoming freshmen anxious and uneasy, especially if the high school is much bigger than the elementary school where the student graduated.

At Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo, faculty and staff begin preparing their incoming freshmen and parents for the transition to high school with a number of events to welcome the students and give them the opportunity to get to know their classmates, their teachers and their classrooms.

“We have found that some of the parents are anxious too,” Pat Herzing, Gibault’s director of enrollment said.
Herzing wears a number of hats at Gibault, and as a teacher, she knows how important it is to make sure students and their parents feel not only welcomed but comfortable at the school.

To increase the comfort level of students, they are invited on a number of field trips during the summer — the most recent one to Raging Rivers, a water park, brought about half of the 65-70 freshmen enrolled at Gibault this fall, Herzing said.

Most years, parents are invited to their own mixer, with no agenda, just to meet people they don’t already know. This year, remodeling at Gibault will prevent the parents from mixing as a special event although this will happen among themselves.

Gibault Mothers’ Club members help facilitate the gathering. Also, before school begins, a freshmen potluck brings students, parents and faculty together.

“The goal is to get freshmen past the angst of going into the building without knowing anyone,” Herzing said.
This year, the first day of school for freshmen, they will assemble at the school and then leave for a retreat.

Traditionally, the retreat for each of the classes takes place later in the year, but Herzing said gathering the freshmen for retreat early helps in “team building” for the group.

Parents and teachers can keep up with what’s going on at the school through technology. Parents can contact teachers through email and let them know this is a good way to communicate, share their concerns or ask questions of the teachers.

“Teachers will have the most first-hand information on students,” Herzing said.
Herzing said the school also has an email forum for all students called “In the Know” to keep students informed about school activities and events.

Other forums are also used for added information that is targeted at a particular group or class.
“When the technology works, it’s great,” Herzing said.

However, emails don’t always get through and sometimes float in cyberspace without ever being delivered. That can cause problems for teachers and parents who believe situations have been resolved.
Communication on multiple levels, Herzing said, is the goal at Gibault.

“Constant communication is the only way to have a finger on the pulse of what’s going on,” she said.

As Gibault and the other Catholic high schools prepare to welcome their students later in August, their goals remain the same: to give their students a welcoming, safe and comfortable environment to pursue the best possible Catholic education, filled with memories that will last for the rest of their lives.