Every year a group of 80-90 students joins Parker’s upper school and must learn everything from how to work the portal to where the biology classrooms are. This year 26 of the 89 incoming freshmen are new to Parker students who had never been in a room with their entire grade before the Freshman Orientation.
The Parker bridge program is run by senior Sydney Bronstein, Community Committee Head, and orientation leaders from each grade. The orientation leaders are appointed in the spring by Bronstein and work with her to lead both the bridge program and Freshman Orientation.
“Bridge program is an incredibly important part [in] bringing the community together. It gives the incoming freshman critical information on what being a Parker student in high school means, and it allows them to become acclimated before the school year begins,” Bronstein said. “It is scary to be a foreigner to a space, and high school is a huge change from middle school and an even bigger change if a student is coming from another school. It’s great that Parker provides a space to answer questions that are at the top of everyone’s mind.”
The Parker bridge program is a well established tradition that includes student leaders, teachers, and administrators. “Bridge is an essential part of Parker’s orientation program. It’s necessary for us to meet with our brand new students in a welcoming capacity to give them the tools necessary to be successful as they start their journey,” Upper School Dean of Student Life Joe Bruno said.
As head of Community Committee, Bronstein is responsible for the development of the program and coordination with both the students and the teachers. “I started working on the program as soon as I got elected in May. I was once a new student to the high school, and so I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to create this program for the new students. I started by sitting down with Mr. Bruno, and we talked about our vision for the program and what changes I wanted to make from last year,” Bronstein said.
During Bronstein’s campaign for Community Committee Head, she spoke on her idea of creating smaller groups in the beginning of the program to create less anxiety on the students’ part. “This year the smaller groups worked so well because it gave the students a chance to ask questions they may not have felt comfortable asking in a bigger group, and it also gave them an opportunity to bond with the other students in their four person group and their orientation leaders,” Bronstein said.
On each day of the program, new students participated in educational activities to learn the meaning behind “Parker’s progressive approach to education” and about “what it means to be a Parker citizen.” Next, students explored the campus and learned more about Parker’s campus footprint and where their classes could be in the upcoming year. The next day, students were given the opportunity to interact more with other new students and the Parker faculty. “There is always a fun outing at the end of the second day of bridge, and so this year I chose for us to go to Wrigley Field and then go to a dinner afterwards across the street which gave students the chance to talk to each other more and hopefully bond with their new classmates,” Bronstein said.
“I thought it was awesome to finally meet the upcoming freshman who I’ll be with for the next four years, and I enjoyed talking with everyone and seeing them for the first time since before summer,” freshman Talia Albert said. “I thought the program was really thoughtfully laid out, and it gave me the chance to not just meet the new people but to get to know them as well instead of just showing up to class and learning names.”
“I thought that this year’s bridge program went well, and I hope they took away that I know what it is like to be new, I know the position they are in and how they are feeling, and that they can come to me with any questions, and I am just here to support them and help them with whatever they need. In general, I just hope that they have the easiest transition to Parker possible,” Bronstein said.
In the future Bronstein plans to continue building her position as Community Committee Head by, “hosting check ins first semester and a few second semester to see how the new to Parker freshman are doing, and if there is anything I can do to support them in the first year at Parker. I want to be there for them, and I want them to know that they can always come to me or the other orientation leaders with any questions they have.”
