Potential freshmen gather in the Sullivan Performing Arts Center as they’re introduced to the festivities, culture, and academic affluence that is Texas High School. On Jan. 16, 2024, Texas High School provided Red Lick and St. James students to tour the campus grounds and experience THS before deciding upon enrollment.
Welcoming environments can help many students feel better about themselves and encourage them to get a better understanding of whether or not they want to attend that school in the upcoming year. Many visitors found the THS experience specifically to be quite welcoming, and are satisfied with their tour.
“Texas High is very welcoming,” Red Lick student Abigail Daigle said. “Everyone seems pretty nice,” Red Lick student Abigail Daigle said.
Some may not realize the importance of expanding horizons, but touring school campuses can be beneficial. Some families may want their children to attend the same school as their siblings since it’s better for them, but overall the goal of the entire tour procedure is to familiarize these families with the various campuses.
“Red Lick and St. James’ school systems only go through the eighth grade, so the students have a choice where they want to go to high school,” Associate Principal of College and Career Readiness, Bettie Lynn Stark said. “They can go to Pleasant Grove, Liberty Eylau, Hooks, or Redwater.”
Getting the opportunity to work in a different setting and try new things that you might not think you could do in a traditional school is compelling in the decision-making process. These high school courses at Texas High offer a plethora of opportunities for students to explore new things, and the instructors and administration facilitate those opportunities.
“I’m so excited about the new CTE buildings. For kids, if they want to participate in a mock trial, in a real courtroom, we’ve got that,” Associate Principal of College and Career Readiness, Bettie Lynn Stark said. “If they want to work in an industrial kitchen, we’ve got that. If they want to build an airplane, we’ve got that as well.”
To purposefully promote effective communication between the students receiving the tours and give the tourists someone who can relate to their experiences as students choosing which high school to attend, tour guides were chosen based on whether or not they attended Red Lick or St. James.
“A lot of the tour guides today were selected on purpose because they are students who either went to Redlick, or they went to St. James,” Stark said. “They led these tours today because they’ve been in the tourist position before and know the ins and outs of Texas High.”
Teachers who have been in the game for the long haul have the opportunity to see their student’s growth and to see where their future is headed. Resident math teacher Kimberly Beechem took the chance to see some of her old students touring the school and encouraged them to enroll.
“I like it because it makes me feel like they’re part of my family and I always call them my babies,” Beechem said. “I think that Texas High is probably a good fit for most kids, and a smaller school would be a good fit for other kids, but it all boils down to whatever fits their personality and what they’re looking for.”
