On the evening of Sep. 15, Buena welcomed parents and students for the annual Back to School Night, a place for parents and teachers to learn a little bit more about each other and the class.
Although the official starting time was 5:30 p.m., the popular pizza venue, Pizza Man Dan’s, was present on the campus, serving a light dinner at 5 p.m. The crowd soon headed over to the quad, where principal Dr. Audrey Asplund stood on the Orange Peel, a well known monument at Buena.
Five tables sat adjacent to the Peel, advertising the many things Buena has to offer. The Wellness Center had a table, as well as the College and Career Center, representing the CTE pathways. Other setups included the school resource officer table and the PTO.
The drumline section of Buena’s marching band arrived on their cue, playing energetic tunes and instilling Bulldog pride.
“I love starting with the drumline because it [really] sets the tone and is able to showcase our students and their talents,” assistant principal Tiffany Dyer said.
Asplund soon welcomed senior and Associated Student Body (ASB) president Naima Dickerson to lead the pledge of allegiance.
After the pledge was recited, Asplund welcomed the special guests that were present and spoke about the new updates that Buena had installed this year, the most notable being the introduction of the social contracts. The reason for this was the “Capturing Kid’s Hearts” training that all teachers had to go through prior to the start of the school year.
“It encourages healthy relationships with their students and with each other,” Asplund said in her speech. “We’re a community, and we’re going to treat each other with respect.”
Soon after, parents headed over to their child’s classrooms, following the order of the schedule. Although a few small hiccups were encountered along the way, the evening ran smoothly, with a decent turnout.
“The thing that is most conducive to a student’s success beyond just the quality of the school is also the parent involvement,” music director and first year Buena teacher Tim MacDonald said. “I think when the parents are really involved, and they are really active in their student’s learning, the students just tend to succeed.”
The high turnout was something that many administrators and classroom teachers agreed on. Chemistry and physics teacher Caleb Kellogg felt that he had great turnout in his classroom, especially in the AP courses. Although the room wasn’t entirely full, at least two rows of seats were taken up by parents.
“Every back to school night, I’m most excited to see the parents who come in and to see how excited they are for their students,” Kellogg said. “[I like to] see how curious they are [on] what the class is all about and how they can best support their student.”
While some classrooms were emptier than others, teachers still enjoyed the parents who did come, grateful that they were able to make it.
“I want to facilitate that connection between me, the parents and the students. If we’re all working together towards that goal, then the students are more likely to succeed,” MacDonald said.
As staff packed up for the night and parents and students drove home amidst the night sky, the evening’s events rested on everyone’s minds. Most considered it a grand success, with gratitude towards the parents who showed, and the teachers who arrive on campus everyday to teach their students, no matter what happens after the 3:30 p.m. bell rings.
Parent involvement is a powerful force when it comes to a student’s success, and Back to School Night did not disappoint.
“I just want to thank the parents who are not only able to, but [who also] take the effort to come out and invest in their student’s education because it not only means a lot to the kids, but it means a lot to the teachers to see that these students are getting supported outside of the classroom,” Kellogg said.
