Getting ready to be a Mazama Viking
April 11, 2023 / Nearly 200 eighth-graders from Brixner Junior High School visited their soon-to-be high school Tuesday (April 11) to explore Mazama High School’s academic and elective course offerings, see the campus, and meet teachers and student leaders.
After an introduction to the Viking student leadership team, the rising freshmen were given a forecasting sheet with a list of all of the elective classes they could sign up for next year. As they toured the school, they had a chance to see some of those offerings firsthand.
At Mazama, the choices are varied and include the arts, food science, automotive, woodshop, chemistry, teaching, robotics, foreign languages, health occupations, journalism and yearbook, among others.
“The more students are engaged, the more successful they are,” said Mazama Vice Principal Sergio Cisneros. “We want to match students up with courses they are interested in. When they are enjoying the classes and following the sequence, they’re also more likely to take some advanced courses their senior year.”
Eighth-grader Madison O’Connell said she is interested in art and maybe journalism. Classmate Carolina Nieves also likes art and might also try some food science courses.
“I really like everything I’ve seen so far,” Madison said as she entered the school’s woodshop classroom.
Eighth-graders making decision about courses and electives for their first year of high school is called forecasting. This year, Mazama administrators offered some additional forecasting activities as a way to better engage all incoming students. Before spring break, Brixner parents were invited to a presentation about understanding their student’s transcripts, advanced high school courses, and graduation requirements.
Last week, Mazama administrators and student leaders visited Brixner to talk about classes, programs, and clubs.
“The goal is to increase the number of students who continue on into advanced pathways,” said Mazama Principal Jennifer Hawkins. “We want to provide an opportunity for all students to find their passions at our school.”
Next up is the Mazama Showcase, which is from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday (April 12). The event provides parents and incoming eighth-graders a chance to ask questions, and explore extracurricular activities as well as class offerings and academic programs. Counselors also will be on hand to discuss tips for student success and answer questions.
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