The upcoming freshman class for the 2026-2027 school year is preparing to move up, and the students and staff at Chelsea High School have put a lot of work into making a day that helps the students get a feel for the school so the eighth graders are prepared for when school starts back up in the fall.
“The other Link Crew advisors and I, so that's Mrs. Knupp and Miss English and myself, we've already been in meetings to talk about the schedule for that day,” secondary instructional coach Rachel Wismont said. “It really is a group effort from the school, so administrators, counselors, teachers, extracurriculars, all have a part in trying to make it come together.”
On Moving Up Day, there are a lot of things happening at once: stations in every wing of the building, including a station at the end where the eighth graders can ask any questions that they have.
“The eighth graders go on rotations to each of the core class areas, but they also do an elective sphere so they can learn about the electives involved,” Wismont said.
The staff at CHS put a lot of work into making the eighth graders feel welcomed and reduce anxiety, including stations like going to the weight room and seeing how it works, or sitting in a classroom hearing what to expect for the upcoming school year.
“I think that there's no place that a kid can gain confidence in themselves faster than in this space,” physical education teacher Adam Taylor said. “And you don't even have to really know what you're doing.”
Included in the event, there is a rotation for some of the clubs at CHS. Those rotations are run by students, and the students put a lot of work and collaboration into making the eighth graders consider joining different clubs in the fall.
“I've been thinking back to all of the times that we promoted the Arbor club before. Sometimes, we went around to the classrooms, and we did a short little speech about it. We’ve invited people who are already in high school to join,” senior Charlotte Doma said. “We prepared for it by thinking about all of the things that we've done for the school and all of our upcoming students.”
One of the main things about this day is to make sure the eighth graders aren’t anxious about their first day. According to Taylor, the main positive effect of the day is that it “takes away a lot of anxiety” that comes from opening lockers, navigating the building, and being in a new environment with new people.
“If you're willing to come in the summer, you'll have zero anxiety on day one when you set foot in the building,” Taylor said. “And the kids that are here, there's a sense of ownership from being here during the summer, ‘hey, I know what I'm doing’.”
During the day, there are many takeaways that the eighth graders should keep with them throughout high school, but also make sure they are confident in what they want to do at CHS.
“The main outcome of moving up day is to help build excitement and reduce anxiety for our incoming ninth graders,” Wismont said.
