Freshman Experience

A big part of acclimating to a new school is the social element. We know it can be scary to start a new school so we make sure to add plenty of team building activities to help your student meet new friends. Daily social activities such as speed friending, team building challenges and ice breakers are built into the daily schedule.  

No, save those for the fall. For Freshman Experience, students should wear school appropriate attire. Please make sure shorts are a modest length and no bare shoulders or mid-drifts are showing. Students should wear a closed toe shoe.

Fully charged iPad, pencil/pen, a water bottle, an umbrella (in case of inclement weather), a willingness to meet new people and good listening ears.

SAGE Dining provides lunch daily. It is included in the cost of Freshman Experience. SAGE provides a hot entrée daily with several fresh salad and fruit options. Water, juice and milk are also available. If your student has a specific dietary need, please let us know. We will do our best to accommodate. Students are welcome to bring their own non-perishable lunch if they prefer.

Freshman Experience begins at 9 a.m. Doors will open at 8:45 a.m. Please do not leave your student unattended.

Freshman Experience ends at 3 p.m. daily. If your student needs to stay after, he/she must be supervised by a coach/teacher/sponsor. Please let us know if your student will be checking him/herself out to stay after and/or if he or she will not be riding the bus.

During Freshman Experience, we run a modified transportation schedule. Transportation may be added to your registration for an additional $125. We offer transportation stops at Prince Frederick, Hughesville, La Plata, Clinton, Brandywine, Owings, and Charlotte Hall. A week prior to Freshman Experience, you will receive an email from Mrs. Crystal Dunkin with transportation times. First stops may be as early as 6:45 a.m.

Freshman Experience is all about preparing students to be successful in the fall. We encourage students to pick classes based on their areas of needed growth. Students should select two classes which may present the biggest challenges to him/her.

About a week prior to your selected Freshman Experience week, you will receive an email with your students classes and information for the week.

Registration for Freshman Experience closes on June 30. Pre-registration is required.

It is not common for students to receive homework during Freshman Experience however it might be necessary to complete a project at home.

We understand that the summer is busy, however, encourage your student to attend as much as possible! To try to help, we offer two identical weeks of Freshman Experience. However, if your child needs to miss a day or more, please reach out to Mrs. Dunkin at crystal.dunkin@smrhs.org so that we may work to accommodate your student as much as possible.

Please let Mrs. Dunkin know in advance. We will make sure your student is where they need to be when it is time to leave.

Both weeks of Freshman Experience are identical. If your student wanted to take more than two jump start classes, he/she could do a half day during the second week. Please reach out to Mrs. Dunkin to discuss if this is beneficial for your student.