KHS Inaugural BTSN
On August 26th, Kennett High School hosted its first ever Back to School Night Open House (#BTSN). The evening consisted of an open flow format, food trucks, community partnerships information tables, sports and activity information booths, live performances from members of the Kennett High School Marching band, and more!
This year’s Back-to-School Night at Kennett High School looked much different than in years past. The event, held from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m., was thoughtfully designed to create a fun opportunity for students and their entire families to come and learn all about what KHS has to offer. “All the elements of past Back to School Nights, We Are Kennett, and Activities Day went into consideration as we planned this event. We hope that creating this comprehensive experience for our students and families will be beneficial for both the individual student and our collective community,” said Assistant Principal Eileen Rudisill, who was in charge of organizing the evening. The high school’s doors opened at 5:00.
A variety of food trucks were parked near the front steps, so guests could treat themselves to Maggie Moos, La Michoacana Mexican Ice Cream, 22 BBQ, or Savanna’s Fries and then gather with friends to eat on the Kennett blue picnic tables on the front lawn. Or maybe even sneak back out for a corn ice cream bar or some chicken fingers for a snack later in the evening. Once inside, students and families were directed to different areas of the building by administrators, teachers, and National Honor Society student guides, who were coordinated by NHS members Anne Holt and Olivia Whittaker. In Reynolds Gymnasium, athletes and coaches from over a dozen KHS sports answered questions about their teams. Down the hall in the auxiliary gym, approximately thirty-five clubs provided information about their mission and membership. And, the cafeteria housed representatives from over thirty organizations, including After the Bell, La Communidad Hispana, The Garage, and the Chester County Food Bank, who were there to provide information about accessing the valuable resources available in the community. At 6:00, the administrative team of the high school, led by Dr. Jeremy Hritz, offered a welcome and emphasized the incredible experience that is available to all at Kennett High School. Finally, students and families used the remaining two hours to tour the school building, stopping in classrooms to meet teachers and receive an overview of exciting programming, as well as academic opportunities and expectations.
Students and their families were issued specially printed raffle tickets and gathered stamps as they visited the gym, the auxiliary gym, the cafeteria, and classrooms. Each completely filled ticket was then entered into a drawing for generously donated prizes. Austin Houtchens, grade 11, won the iPad provided by Dr. Michael Cari of Cari Orthodontics. Vanessa Ochoa, grade 9, won a gift basket from Longwood Gardens. And senior Gavin Seele won the Spirit basket contributed by the KHS athletics department. “This is the first year we experimented with an open house-approach to BTSN, and it was a resounding success. The feedback from both students and families was highly positive, and we will continue with this approach in the coming years,” said Dr. Hritz. “We have so much to offer our students, and we want them to see that we support their growth in every way – academically, socially, physically, and emotionally,” Ms. Rudisill concluded.
Our community partners are eager to return next year and we are excited to do this again. Please take a moment to see a short video capturing some of the highlights of the evening and we look forward to having more join us for #BTSN22!
