Students rolled in one by one, their young, innocent eyes darting all around as they entered the double doors of 12345 Inwood Road. Their immediate gaze rested upon a raggedy bunch of students staring down at their iPads, bumping into statues, crashing against the obscure artworks that hang on the bleached walls. “Why do these kids wear name tags? That guy looks like me in two years.” Questions and thoughts circulated these fresh, interested minds. Others, not as attentive, looked upon the lavish lounges, visible through glass doors, envious of students lying down, watching the newest show on Netflix.
However, this was not the complete Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, just the initial perception of it. These students would later find out what this school was all about, as they took on the adventure of the 8th grade visits.
Approximately “650 students over a course of 21 visit days” enter our campus each year says Mr. Host, admissions director and coordinator of 8th grade visits, a staggering amount of students that are interested in this school. Over one in three of these 8th graders will enroll into Jesuit the following year, as others regret their decision to not do so. And as applications begin to be filled in, these visits seem to be the final opportunity for the school to attract these prominent 8th graders.
“Many kids enjoy the experience of an actual school day, and how students interact with each other, just to see how relaxed and comfortable this environment is,” Mr. Host stated. Understandable: while many have enjoyed the lavish baseball fields and our grand foo
tball stadium and the excitement from the games, 8th grade visits allowed students an insight into what really goes on inside the campus.
One excited 8th grader, Baron Johnson, highlighted how he enjoyed that Jesuit “[encourages] their students to become a man for others,” which is a key aspect of our school, as we not only boast our great academics and athletics, but we want to convey that the Jesuit brotherhood has much more to offer. He seemed to get this message embedded in him during his visit, further stating that “everyone there treated us with respect and made us feel at home,” “home” a word that perfectly describes the close bond we have here between students and faculty.
One of the most exciting elements of these visits was when the students were able to invade some of the science labs, getting a full-on blast of what biology will be like their freshman year, an interesting experience where they were able to meddle with our high-tech microscopes and were able to see what experiments were being conducted in class, and more importantly how classes were being conducted.
These memories seemed to resonate, as sophomore Forrest Park stated “I just liked how students seemed to be friends with the teachers, and the classes almost seemed like group projects, and I felt part of this close bond. I think that’s why I came”. His thoughts indicated that the recognition and the fame of the school is not the main attraction, but once again the close brotherhood between students and faculty is what really sets us out as a school, and brings many onto this campus, emphasized by the mere fact that these memories have lasted within him over the course of two perilous years here at Jesuit.
Along with this, 8th graders got a blast from the music department and were introduced to all the extra-curricular classes they have the opportunity to take next year, and most importantly were given a chance to play various instruments. Mr. Putnam, a teacher in the fine arts departments, stated that “everyone loves to play the drums, as well as congos and bongos, and we gave them a chance to play loud and play some solos as well”. This memorable experience hopefully demonstrated another exciting department at Jesuit that boasts the band, orchestra, theatre, and much more, helping to diversify the numerous activities these future freshman will enter into.
As they stepped outside, the 8th graders took a deep breathe of fresh air, reflecting upon the last four hours of their life, a time filled with science, music, and Jesuit. Surely many have already decided Jesuit is their school, applying to have a chance of getting enrolled, intensely studying (or watching the newest show on Netflix) in preparation for the ISEE’s, heavily impacted by the profound effect of the 8th grade visits.
Photos by Rosann Mack
