The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
WELCOME, FRESHMEN
Students attend orientation, play games and enjoy pizza
TORRINGTON » The new freshman class at Torrington High School was welcomed Friday morning with games and pizza and a chance to get acquainted with their new school.
Assistant Principal Robin Ledversis said more than 150 freshman took part in the orientation, which also included an indoor scavenger hunt and team-building games such as human foosball and charades.
Lunch from Marazano’s Pizza was provided for the group, thanks to a donation by the student council, Ledversis said.
The hope was to allow the young people to become familiar with the building, get to know their classmates better, and have some fun, she said.
“We wanted them to be able to come in and have a fun morning with their teachers (and) with their peers,” said Ledversis.
THS senior Justin Torres served as an ambassador during the event, welcoming a new generation of Torrington students to high school.
“Once, I was a really small freshman and I always looked up to someone for guidance, and now, it’s great to be able to be that person that these kids look up to,” said Torres.
He hoped the young people took away some new knowledge about life at THS.
“It’s not so scary,” said Tor-
res. “It’s not as scary as everyone says, because we’re all here to help each other, which I hope they’ve taken from today.”
Incoming freshmen Ava McKinney, Kelsee Canty and Shamai Morales took part in the orientation. McKinney said she was pleased to have the older students there, as they
were easier to relate to than staff. She said she was excited to make the move to THS.
“It’s a little bit nervewracking (to go into high school),” said McKinney. “But I’m excited.”
The school’s new principal, Andrew Skarzynski, was at the event Friday, ahead of the new school year. He said he hoped the freshmen in attendance had established a comfort level with the school, the staff, and their peers, and
created a connection to the THS community.
“I ultimately hope that they feel like they’re part of the school community,” said Skarzynski. “We know that the students are connected, that feel that they are part of something, tend to do better than students that are disconnected. So, our goal with today was establish a level of orientation, but really set students on the right path forward in their high school career.”