On Thursday Jan. 22 Manitou Springs High School held the annual Welcome Night to welcome incoming middle school students and students from outside of District 14.
Welcome Night is an event that is held in order to help showcase the academic, athletic, and student culture at MSHS. “The night is really to introduce our incoming freshmen and any kids that are looking to choice into the high school to the course offerings we have,” athletic director Brandon DeMatto said. “We want to show what extracurricular opportunities and athletics they can be in.”
Preparing for Welcome Night requires coordination and help from across the school. DeMatto feels that the process of setting up for Welcome Night truly begins with getting staff involvement for the event. “It starts by kind of getting the staff on board and making sure that we have a representative from each of the departments academically,” DeMatto said.
Tables at the event are set up in different rooms with academic classes set up in the commons, while athletics and clubs are set up in the gym.
DeMatto believes that welcome night helps incoming students understand the culture and environment of manitou in hopes that they choose to come here. For families and students, Welcome Night is an opportunity to make connections. “For most people, it’s attaching some faces with names,” DeMatto said.
Spanish teacher Ingrid Perez feels that Welcome Night is a way to allow students to get familiar with the school before attending. “It is an opportunity for upcoming ninth graders to see how the high school looks and to get acquainted with the new space and get to know their teachers,” Perez said.
Student council members also play an important role at Welcome Night by leading tours around the school’s campus. “Admin will make different groups, and student council will lead those groups by making tours around the school letting people know where the different departments are and showing them the classrooms and bringing them to the SILC building and showing them that that building is also part of the high school,” Perez said.
Perez, who helps run Spanish Club, feels that Welcome Night not only helps bring in students to the school, but it helps clubs. “Spanish Club has grown in size this year because last year we had a booth for Welcome Night and we were able to share the information of what we do during Spanish Club,” Perez said. “ This year, the Spanish Club is double the size because of that.”
Student body president Noah Theys (11) believes that Welcome Night is a way for families to get the chance to hear directly from the students that attend MSHS. “Getting a student opinion, it always shows a good perspective on what the school is about,” Theys said.
Theys believes that Welcome Night also helps families understand what makes MSHS stand out. “It’s a night for middle school students and students that are looking at Manitou to come next year, to kind of see what courses we offer, what classes, what clubs and sports we have, and the programs and what our school is all about,” Theys said.
Beyond showcasing the programs that are offered at MSHS, Welcome Night also plays a role in shaping the school’s future. With public school enrollment declining state-wide, DeMatto feels that events like Welcome Night are more important than ever. “Any opportunity you can get to put your best foot forward in front of the community and the surrounding communities, I think, is an important part of what you should be doing,” DeMatto said.
Through tours and conversations with students and staff, Welcome Night gives families the opportunity to explore MSHS while helping incoming students feel more comfortable and connected with their next step in education.
“It makes it feel much more like a family rather than just a school that you attend,” Theys said.
