RBHS is hosting its Back to School Night Sept. 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will start with an optional parent meeting in the main gym, where parents will be introduced to the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association and the counselors and administrators from both RBHS and the Columbia Area Career Center. From there, parents will have the opportunity to walk through their student’s schedule and talk with teachers for seven minutes at a time about what they’re currently working on in class and what to expect from the syllabus. The bells will ring after the seven minutes are finished, and parents can then travel to their child’s next class until they go through their whole schedule for both A and B days.
In addition to helping organize the event, Principal Jacob Sirna said he will be at Back to School Night to ensure it runs smoothly and answer any questions parents might have for him. Sirna said the night is about providing space for parents to familiarize themselves with what their child is doing on a day-to-day basis.
“I’m looking forward to having parents see, hear from and even feel what their students are [experiencing] when they’re interacting with teachers,” Sirna said. “We do a lot of work to present ourselves in a positive way, so it’s nice for parents to be able to see that.”
Michael McGinty, Assistant Principal and Activities Director, said that while he is now an administrator, he always enjoyed Back to School Night when he taught as an English teacher at RBHS. McGinty said the event allowed him to get to know more about his students by being able to personally talk to their families. I’m looking forward to having parents see, hear from and even feel what their students are [experiencing] when they’re interacting with teachers. We do a lot of work to present ourselves in a positive way, so it’s nice for parents to be able to see that. — Jacob Sirna, Principal
“As a teacher, I got to make connections with parents that really deepened my relationships with their kids,” McGinty said. “I loved asking them for things I didn’t know, a little dirt on your kid if you will, which was just a joke, but it worked. It’s amazing how much parents would tell me, and then I could use that information in a light-hearted way with their kids.”
AP Environmental Science teacher Tanner Hakert said Back to School Night can be a “long day” because of his anxiety regarding talking to parents. Hakert said that he enjoys meeting the families of his new students or catching up with those he has already had, but the night is definitely an event he has had to adapt to.
“Talking to students is a lot easier for me because I’m older than them,” Hakert said. “A lot of the parents of the students I have are still older than me, so it’s always felt weird talking to them about their students and what we’re doing in class. I’m getting more comfortable with it, but it’s definitely been an adjustment my first couple of years.”
McGinty said Back to School Night is a breath of fresh air as the event provides him with the chance to interact with students on matters outside of how they are doing in school or any issues they might be having during the day.
“As an administrator, a lot of the times you deal with conflict,” McGinty said, “But this is a night when you don’t deal with that, where you really are just celebrating kids and meeting their parents. There’s a really positive vibe to the night that I really enjoy.”
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