Weir High School welcomes around 6-10 transfer students each year. Unless someone has moved or transferred schools, it can be difficult to empathize. Junior transfer student Kaylee Hettenschuller, school counselor Don Wright, and assistant principal Kelly Lawton shed light on the experience.

“People around here, they help.” Assistant Principal Kelly Lawton shared that any time a new student arrives, people offer to help in whatever way possible. An office worker shows them around for a few days while they figure out where their classes are. Every member of the staff tries their best to welcome them and make the transition as easy as possible.

School counselor Don Wright shared the process of scheduling new students. When creating their schedules, Wright first analyzes the schedule from their previous school. He then has to make sure that they have all the credits they need to graduate. Because of this, a senior may have to take a freshman class, such as Earth Science, because they didn’t need that credit to graduate their old school but need it here.

When speaking with Hettenschuller, this was confirmed. “My two core classes were with freshman and sophomores with me being a junior because in PA class requirements are different.”
Wright stated that this happens frequently because of different state’s graduation requirements. However, his main goal when scheduling is to make sure that the student will have all the credits that they need to graduate, while also making sure that they will be able to succeed in the class.

Because we have four new classes each semester, it is more difficult to schedule students who come from a school with eight yearlong classes. If a student were to transfer in December, the course would be coming to an end. Whereas at their previous school, the course would be about halfway finished. This makes it harder for students to transition, because they may have a lot of catching up to do.

The transition can be difficult, but current students and staff can help make it easier and more enjoyable.