Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, August 06, 2010

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Lori Weaver (left), whose family moved here from Wisconsin a few weeks ago, was relieved that Fayette County schools host freshmen orientation.

Kara Weaver and Lorren Sales might feel like little fish in a big pond at Tates Creek High School, but at least they’ve found each other.

During freshman orientation, the girls discovered they both come from really small schools: Kara had 21 students in her class last year, and Lorren had only 13.

“The student population (at Tates Creek) is bigger than the community where my school was,” said Kara, whose family moved here from Wisconsin a few weeks ago.

Lorren is a local who decided to transfer from a private school to expand her academic options and extracurricular opportunities, such as trying out for the track team.

They were among some 400 to 500 incoming ninth-graders introduced to Tates Creek during Camp Commodore.

The afternoon opened with a chance to learn the school’s fight song, led by band members and cheerleaders in the gym. The students then split into four teams to rotate through 20-minute sessions, including a school tour and an overview of clubs, organizations and sports.

Guest speaker Hasan Davis, from the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, encouraged the teens to stay in school and stay out of trouble. One of his main suggestions was to “do something” – not just sit around and disappear in the crowd.

“The great thing about school is you get as much as you put in,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the theater, upperclassmen put on a dress-code fashion show, and the freshmen heard some basic rules about smoking, bullying and cell phones.

The newcomers later met up with their parents and did a walk-through of their class schedules.

“We won’t come in completely lost and confused,” Lorren said, looking ahead to the first day of school. “It’s nice to know where everything is.”

Her mom, Rachael Sales, is a little apprehensive about sending her oldest child to high school.

“I’m overwhelmed. She’s excited,” Sales said after dropping off Lorren. “She’s met a few of the kids, so if she hooks up with them, she’ll be fine.”

Lori Weaver, Kara’s mother, was relieved that Fayette County Public Schools offers freshmen orientation.

“They’re excited just to dive in,” said Weaver, who will have three of four daughters at Tates Creek High.