As the clock winds down on summer vacation, Kingsway students are set to return to school on Wednesday, Sept. 7. While classes have not started yet, the Dragon community has come together to prepare for the upcoming year this past month in a few ways.
Kingsway holds a one-day high school transition camp each year for all incoming ninth-grade students. At the camp, students are invited to explore the school and meet their classmates, as well as learn important lessons about what is expected of them as high schoolers.
This year the camp was held on Aug. 22 and Aug. 30. The original dates were changed due to ongoing construction at Kingsway.
“I have always worried about going to high school and not knowing what anything is and where everything was, so the idea of a freshman transition seemed like a good thing to go to,” said Van Gantz, a rising freshman.
As a student coming from Logan Middle School, the Kingsway culture is completely new to him. Unlike students living in East Greenwich, South Harrison, and Swedesboro/Woolwich, Logan students do not attend the regional school district until 9th grade. Like many freshmen, Gantz is playing a fall sport in order to become better acclimated with his school community.
“In 8th grade, I worried about creating relationships between people in Kingsway middle school because obviously Kingsway is a way bigger school and holds way more people than Logan. However, recently I have realized that there is a bunch of people at Kingsway like me, so there is not so much to worry about,” explained Gantz.
About fifty students join Kingsway from Logan in every freshman class.
After five-full years in the Kingsway district, rising senior, Emma Hartman would tell the freshman “to live it up and not dwell on the little stuff, because it really does fly by, and you don’t want to look back on your high school experience and regret anything”.
Though they have already conquered the ropes of high school, Kingsway seniors have their own fears and thrills as they prepare to embark on their final year.
“I am most excited about having a parking spot and early release to make my schedule way easier to manage,” said Hartman.
On Thursday, Aug. 18, many seniors got to participate in the second-annual parking spot painting day. This tradition, which was started by the 2022 student council executive board, gives seniors a chance to display their individuality and make part of the school their own.
Many students drew their artistic inspiration from Pinterest as spot-painting has become a common activity at high schools across America.
Kingsway seniors applied for a parking spot and paid $120 each in order to paint them. This money included three gallons of paint and primer in addition to the spot itself. This was a change from last year when students bought the paint themselves and spent an average of $200 each on paint alone. The seniors were glad to see an all-inclusive price this year.
In addition to parking spot painting, the class of 2023 also participated in a student-run senior beach day in Strathmere, NJ. While the event was advertised on the class’s Instagram account, students note that this event is not officially affiliated with Kingsway Regional High School, meaning it did not go through administrative approval and is entirely student-run.
On Friday, Aug. 19, the senior class flocked to Strathmere bringing umbrellas, speakers, and beach games as their class officers advertised.
Students’ willingness and excitement for summer events are evidence of the immense pride they have for Kingsway, both in and out of the walls of the school. They are looking forward to the upcoming 2022-23 school year.
By Audrey Pachuta
