About 70 students attended the event at Best in Games (BIG). It was an afternoon filled with free arcade games and pizza hosted by the school that established a sense of community and belonging before the first day of school Aug. 25. Each incoming student was paired with a buddy who showed them the moral character development and opportunities that are present at East Arbor.
“We really empower our students to be leaders,” said Courtney Shelby-Thompson, dean of upper elementary. “They were very happy the entire time walking them around, telling them about our school and just creating new friendships that can really spark a great community. When they come to school on the first day, all those jitters will be eliminated or lessened.”
Families also were able to partake in the food and mingle with other new incoming families while their children played.
East Arbor strives to create a sense of belonging to help students behave with care throughout the school year. Every Friday is a student-led middle school meet-up where they talk about new initiatives and take part in teambuilding activities.
This sense of community has contributed to East Arbor outperforming the district for 12 years, giving parents and students the best choice for their education. Shelby-Thompson said East Arbor’s commitment to student leadership and positive behavior is especially important at the middle school age, with the challenges of high school not far off.
“This reinforced how amazing it was seeing our students showing leadership and kindness and welcoming our new peers into East Arbor,” she said. “I just love seeing the smiles on their faces creating friendships before the first day of school.”
Great job, East Arbor!
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About East Arbor Charter Academy
East Arbor Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Ypsilanti, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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