Weeks of Welcome Takes a Different Approach

 

High school can be a little overwhelming, especially if it’s freshman year, even for high schoolers who have just taken a 3-month summer break. Luckily, that’s what WOW days are all about; helping create a sense of community in the school and giving students the tools they need to start the year on the right foot. 

WOW days—Weeks of Welcome days—were started at Rolling Meadows High School in 2019. Izabella Wnek, who teaches English and Speech, is the teacher who got the program started after realizing the school did not do anything to celebrate the beginning of the school year and integrate the freshman into high school.

“In my opinion, it is SO important to get freshmen started off on the right foot – providing them with information and support to be successful in high school right from day one,” Wnek said. 

This year’s WOW days included all kinds of “Welcome to Rolling Meadows High School” activities and ended with a pep rally.  The WOW days are a great way to boost school spirit and make the freshmen feel part of the school. 

According to Jonathan Weintraub, who is one of the deans and part of the WOW days team, WOW days “are a way for incoming freshmen to understand how we do things at Rolling Meadows and what it means to be a Mustang.” 

WOW days are a way to bring the whole school together as the new school year starts. 

This year differed from the previous years because WOW was orchestrated for the entire school, unlike the previous years where only freshmen experienced the program. 

“Overall, the feedback was incredibly positive.  The students enjoyed the various activities we had planned for them and appreciated the access to different types of information (different for each group of students— – freshmen and upperclassmen),” Wnek said.  

Of course, the committee is always working to make improvements and keep adapting WOW days to best serve the students. 

“We are constantly working to make the WOW sessions more interactive and fun in addition to being informative,” said Wnek.

The WOW days team works all year organizing activities and slideshows that make the students feel prepared and excited for the new school year. With the help of many staff members, the committee keeps trying new things and building on WOW days.

“We are constantly working to make the WOW sessions more interactive and fun in addition to being informative,” Wnek said, sharing her excitement. 

Overall, WOW days are a key part of expanding school spirit and helping all students start the year right. It will be exciting to see what new developments are added to next year’s WOW days.