Students Katherine, 8th grade; Sage, 6th grade; and Abby, sophomore, all who made the transition to the Delta Program.

Whether moving up from elementary grades to middle school, or from middle to high school, the process can be an intimidating one. Becoming accustomed to new surroundings, new procedures, and new faces, on top of tackling new academic challenges, can become overwhelming.

State College area schools strive to make this transition as comfortable and simple as possible, through pre-semester events, tours, and preliminary visits to not only help students ease into the process, but also help them decide which schools in the county they would prefer to attend.

At Mount Nittany Middle School, each incoming sixth grader visits the school for a tour of the building, as well as a student-led question and answer session. In addition, a middle school counselor and administrator visits each elementary school to answer any student questions that may arise there, during a presentation on the upcoming transition. In May, parents accompany students to the school, to meet with teachers, discuss the curriculum and get a general sense of what’s to come.

The Delta Program, a smaller and more personalized education opportunity within the district, takes these efforts a step further, by offering incoming or new students the chance to shadow a current student, and giving each the opportunity to meet with the principal himself on a one-on-one basis to further determine if the transition to this particular school is a good fit.

“We try to do a lot of things over the summer and before school even lets out, because this could be a new school not just only for fifth and sixth graders, but also any grade, because it’s a new building, some kids haven’t been here,” says Delta Program Principal Jon Downs. “When we know who’s on the roster, we have them come in before school lets out for next year, just to have them walk through the building, answer questions they have, and we have them back twice more in the summer, once just individually and then again we have kind of a back-to-school, new family night toward the end of August, before school starts.”

Downs goes on to add that the first week of classes includes plenty of orientation activities to alieve student anxiety.

…There’s no lack of information sharing or conversation. We never have a family apply without meeting me first.

“We do some transition stuff where we reach out to the counselors, sending staff,” says Downs. “Even before parents apply, I meet with every single family. So there’s no lack of information sharing or conversation. We never have a family apply without meeting me first, so it’s part of the context. And also we want every kid to come shadow for a day. So there’s all these layers.”

How do the students feel about the process? According to Sage and Katherine, sixth and eighth graders, respectively, at the Delta Program, the transition was easy and even, in some instances, fun. Sage, a former Radio Park Elementary student, noted that visiting the school and meeting staff several times before attending was very helpful, and that she particularly enjoyed participating in classes during her shadowing session. Katherine, who previously attended Mount Nittany Middle School, agreed that the transition wasn’t difficult, specifically mentioning the ease of finding her classes once she began attending the school.

Regardless of where and when a student is making an educational transition, counselors at every school in the district play a huge role in making these changes successful. The school district’s Student Services Department offers general guidelines for counselor-led student transition activities. At an elementary level, counselors introduce new students and lead new student groups for discussion. During the move from fifth to sixth grade, counselors at both elementary and middle schools often meet to discuss specific student needs. Additionally, at the beginning of each school year, the counseling staff holds a New Student Orientation for middle school students just joining the district.

It’s all in a day’s work to make the transition as seamless as possible.