Welcome to the Class of 2024
Pandemic does not prevent new Knights from getting acquainted.
Everyone was required to do a health check in before entering classrooms to ensure safety for the day. Photo by: Mrs. Landinguin
The Class of 2024 had an unusual start to their high school experience, beginning with Freshman Orientation a week before the start of the school year. With social distancing policies still necessary in Los Angeles County, Notre Dame had to make many adjustments to the Freshman Orientation schedule this year.
Previously a one-day event that included the entire freshman class, this year, orientation was spread over three days from August 19th to August 21st with two 4½ hour sessions each day.
Groups of students (approximately 50 per session) were assigned to rooms of no more than 10 freshmen, 2-3 Moreau Mentors, and one adult moderator to ensure that there were not too many people sharing the same space at one time. In their breakout rooms, freshmen met with their Moreau Mentors.
Our Moreau Mentor Program is a student transition program that welcomes our new Knights to Notre Dame and helps them acclimate throughout the first year of their high school.
Each session began Moreau Mentors leading ice breaker activities so the freshmen could get to know some classmates before school started. Through various name games, rounds of Pictionary, Who Am I? and charades members of the Class of 2024 began to feel at home in their limited orientation space.
After icebreakers, freshmen watched a pre-recorded Teaching Mass with Christian Leadership explaining the parts of mass. Christian Leadership also made a video introducing the students to Notre Dame as a Holy Cross school.
Deans and and then counselors, on live Zoom calls with each room, spoke to students about school and uniform rules, tips for starting high school successfully, and how the counseling department, the deans and administrators would be there to give them guidance and support.
“I thought it was great how we were still able to do orientation on campus so the freshmen could get a sense of what ND is like.” — Sophia Martin '21
Next, students went through X2vol training to learn how to log their Christian Service hours, and then the Science department introduced students to Canvas so they could learn how to navigate their classes, find assignments and class materials, and communicate with their teachers as soon as the distance learning school year began.
The day ended with Senior ASB teaching everyone the “Hey Knights” cheer through Zoom to get everyone’s school spirit pumped up for when we have rallies again.
Moreau Mentor moderator, Ms. Patarias, said, “It was important that Notre Dame do our part in providing a safe and secure space for our freshmen and their Moreau Mentors on that day. It was our goal to offer freshman students an opportunity to set foot on campus at least one time before the start of high school. ”
Moreau Mentor Sophia Martin ‘21 said, “I thought it was great how we were still able to do orientation on campus so the freshmen could get a sense of what ND is like.”
While reflecting on the day, freshman Karolina Swierad said, “I liked that we got to meet some new people who are attending the school and how we got to know each other better.”
Even students and Moreau Mentors who could not be on campus physically were able to participate in the day’s events through Zoom!
It was lots of activity in a short span of time, but overall, the Class of 2024 was welcomed into the Notre Dame family with open arms.
It was definitely not our usual Freshman Orientation, but it was a fun way for students to make friends and safely bond in person with at least a few of their classmates before the start of school.
