North Dayton Connects Scholars with Community at High School Night

Middle schoolers at North Dayton School of Discovery have an important choice to make in their near future: which high school they will be attending.

North Dayton held High School Night to help scholars and their families learn about their options and engage with schools in their community. Maggie Burk, North Dayton’s Communities In Schools Site Coordinator, helped organize the open-house style event.

“The purpose of the open house is to allow a welcoming environment for our scholars and for families to feel comfortable to ask questions and learn about the various programs available in our area,” Burk said. “We all know that registering for school can be a lot of work, so we wanted to ensure no one felt overwhelmed by the process.”

Eight different schools and high school programs were in attendance, ranging from career and technical education programs to charter schools to public high schools. These representatives from each school gave families a glimpse at what life could be like for the next four years and provided assistance with the registration process.

Scholars also heard from former classmates at the event. The Dayton Early College Academy brought three former North Dayton scholars to share more about their high school experiences so far. This kind of connection across the community is one of the many reasons North Dayton has outperformed the local district for the last four years.

High School Night is just the beginning of the journey to high school. Burk said that she will get feedback from families and invite back select high schools to give families information sessions.

“The ultimate goal is to help streamline this process for families,” Burk said. “As we move through the fall, we plan to remain connected with our scholars and their families to provide them any support and guidance they need.”

Keep up the great work, Maggie, and all of North Dayton!