District High Schools Greet 1,200 Fresh Faces

Rebecca Dedmond, director of the School Counseling Program and Freshman Transition Initiative at George Washington University, said being part of a smaller group can cushion the shock of freshman year.

"In middle school, students are nurtured and have small classes and have an identity," Dedmond said. "They go from that to ninth grade and say to themselves, 'Where's my locker? How am I going to find my way to class? The teacher doesn't know my name?' " In the midst of the confusion, Dedmond said, students must lay the foundation for their futures as they pick classes and hear about impending SATs and college applications.

Dedmond has worked with several school systems on creating a course, known as an "advisory," in which a smaller group of students meets with a teacher and works on developing social and academic skills.

In the District, the advisory will come to Ballou Senior High School within weeks, Principal Karen Smith said. At the Southeast school, ninth-grade students take their core classes -- English, math, science and social studies -- on one floor and such electives as art, music and physical education in other parts of the building.

On a recent night at Wilson, about 40 parents gathered in the school library for an orientation about what their children can expect this year. Counselor Emyrtle Bennett gave a brief overview of new graduation requirements and told them that most freshmen would be taking the PSAT next month.

Freshman Academy director Gregory Bargeman explained that ninth-grade teachers are divided into teams that work with a group of students. The team meets weekly to discuss field trips, student attendance and academics.

Jackie Mikolaski, Nikolas's mother, said she was reluctant at first to send her son to Wilson because it has so many students, close to 1,500. She offered him his choice of high schools, including private school.

But he wanted to go to Wilson. She said she felt reassured after orientation that the interim principal, Jacqueline Williams, and the teachers would take care of the students. And Mikolaski was impressed when, over the summer, an information packet came in the mail stuffed with facts about high school. "They are very organized for a big school like that," she said.

The freshman class at Wilson jumped this year to 362 from 154. The ninth-grade lockers arrived and were installed last week. Nikolas signed up for one.

"It's a lot better," Nikolas said. "Now I don't have to lug my stuff around all over the place."