By Isabel Costian
Nervous eighth graders filled the large gym as the final pep rally of the year began on Friday. The pep rally, with the theme of Xbox Live, was a tearful experience for many seniors.
“It hasn’t hit me yet that this is my last pep rally that I’ll ever go to,” senior Madelyn Delaney said. “It’s really sad.”
Others were happy to see another successful year go by.
“It was super fun because we’ve learned a lot this year,” junior Desperado Emma Hileman said. “It was just a great wrap up for the year.”
Many groups performed, including the Desperados, the Eaglettes, Hypematic, Legacy and XPress.
“You just forget about everything when everyone’s watching you,” sophomore Eaglette Sophia Saldana said. “It’s just so much fun.”
In addition to the pep rally, eighth graders said they enjoyed experiencing a day in the life of a high schooler.
“It’s different,” eighth grader Christian Kim said. “High school kids are a lot taller.”
Eighth graders attended four magnet seminars to help them decide which ones they would like to apply to.
“I like the variety of magnets and opportunities,” eighth grader Skylar Smith said. “Culinary Arts was really cool. It seems fun.”
The soon-to-be freshmen began thinking about their upcoming start to high school, and many had mixed feelings.
“People say that freshmen are dissed by the older classes, but I’m still excited about starting my future,” Smith said.
Some Richardson students served as guides to the eighth graders, escorting them through the schools in between seminars.
“I loved showing them the animals, because interacting with the animals is my favorite part of the Science Magnet,” Science Magnet freshman Caroline Cummings said. “The experiments were also fun.”
Many eighth graders thought the Science Magnet Chemistry demonstrations were really good.
“Science was amazing,” eighth grader Kennedy Evans said. “I loved the fire.”
In the Communications Magnet, student guides showed the eighth graders Indie films and a music video recreation.
“It was really weird because we all remembered doing that a few years ago, and we looked up to the juniors and seniors,” Communications Magnet junior Brooke Harris said. “Now, they’re gonna be where we are.”
The Culinary Magnet added a new feature to their seminar this year – students made pizzas for the eighth graders to eat.
“I felt kind of like a parent,” Culinary Magnet junior Ashton Chambers said. “It’s cute that these are the kids that are gonna take our places.”
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