"I know that seems ambitious, but that's what we're going to be in here"

Freshman Day at Shepard looks nothing like the first day of high school most of us experience. With great care, we work to make new students feel welcome.

And it’s not just a nice thing to do. This year, the first, sets the tone for the rest of high school. Researchers know that freshmen who start well tend to make success a habit throughout their four years.

Here, we feature the Activities Fair, a trade show of clubs, teams, and every kind of extracurricular activity. And the second half features English teacher Colleen Bax with her Honors English I students.

“I want to get you thinking about the year. I know that seems ambitious, but that’s what we’re going to be in here,” she says during the introduction to a goal-setting exercise.