Eighth Grade Transition Guide Pepper Box Special Edition
April 2022
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Table of Contents THE BASICS Middle School Q&A.............................................................................3 Club Information.................................................................................4 Sports Information.............................................................................6
Pepper Box 8th Grade Transition Guide April 2022 PEPPER BOX STAFF
EXPLORE RHS The Husky Hallway Survival Guide................................................8 Freshman Teacher Fun Facts........................................................10 Senior Advice......................................................................................12
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Freshman Advice..............................................................................13 Credit Wheel.......................................................................................14 Freshman Bucket List Bingo.........................................................15
Visual EIC: Kaitlyn Hurst Content EIC: Kaylyn Riggs Production EIC: Maricela Nunez Online Editor: Chloe Sapp Photography Editor: Michelle Everett Social Media Manager: Chanel Foster Adviser: Ron Steinschriber Staff Members: Leanna Duncan, Paula De Hipolito Ruiz, Layla Fouche, Caden Gaither, Alexandria Griffin, Caroline Groceman, Danielle Haynes, Jennifer Huerta Lopez, Autumn Jacobsmeyer, Julia Lohnes, Nickolas Martin, Eaja McBroom, Ashton Miller, Jacob Nasalroad-Francis, Victoria Pratt, Janiya Scott
Questions from the Middle School The Pepper Box l 8th Grade Transition l 3 Student Life After School What is the hardest thing you had to complete in high school? - As time goes on, the pressure builds with the expectations. Students are constantly asked to make the right choices, get good grades, and plan for the future. It is a bit overwhelming because in middle school you have more immediate support and less movement throughout the building, but in high school you might be a freshman in a class with seniors and you have to use the available resources to get what you need. Do we have to wear masks? - The current building expectation is mask recommended, so unless that changes before next year, that is what it will remain. When we get into high school do we get lockers? - Yes, every student is assigned a locker when they come to school, but most students at the high school do not use their lockers. If you want to use yours, it comes with a lock and the school will give you the combination. How do I not get lost? - You will get lost at least once, but do not worry if you do. Teachers are more than willing to help you find the right place, and after a while you will just start to figure out the building. Where will I park my car to get to school when I get one? - There is student parking available on site for a price at the building and at an adjacent parking lot for a fee.
Teachers
If you ask for help will you get it? - There is a support system of teachers and counselors who are willing to help students. You can reach out to your teacher or assigned counselors for help, and you can make appointments with your counselor through Ritenour Bookmarks. Is it true students can help other students at the high school? - There is a program called A+, which can help students get a free first two years of college. Through that program there are multiple requirements, which can include tutoring other students as one of your classes. If I need clarification on an assignment, can I ask the teachers for help? Teachers are always willing to answer your questions. You can reach out in person, through email, or in Google Chat.
How will I be able to manage school and sports? - You will not be able to play a sport if you are not putting your grades first. You need a 2.5 GPA to be eligible to play in games. A good skill to learn for athletes is time management, since you will have to juggle school work, sports, and other responsibilities. Will you be able to stay after school? - There are school clubs and sports that meet after school, and there are also tutoring sessions for students who need extra help. You must be involved in a club or a sport in order to stay after school. Is it true students can take a small job for Ritenour high school? - There are opportunities in your junior and senior year to get credit while also working. Many students at the high school have part time jobs outside of school.
Classroom
Will I have access to my school email even when I’m out of school? - Yes, you can access your emails at all times. You should always check your email at least once a day because there are a lot of important messages that come out. Do you get out of high school at 3:00 ? - Currently, the bell schedule is from 8:05 - 3:00. If you are a bus rider, make sure you get to your bus as close to 3 as you can because they leave quickly. How many classes do you get and how many credits do you need to graduate? - Students sign up for 7 classes per semester, and each of the classes is worth .5 credit per semester. You need 24 credits to graduate by the time you become a senior. We have included a credit wheel at the back of this special edition to help you. How long are your class periods? - There are two different lengths of class periods. On full 7 period days, classes are 45 minutes long, and on block days, classes are 90 minutes long. How do I manage my classes? - Some tips and tricks: invest in a calendar, check your emails constantly, check Google Classroom constantly, communicate with your teachers, and take advantage of class time and Husky time.
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Fall sports options GIRLS TENNIS
FOOTBALL Head Coach Yarmon Kirksey
BOYS SWIM
Head Coach Beth Seibold
SOFTBALL
CROSS COUNTRY Head Coach Michael Aitken
Head Coach Brittany Dean
SOCCER Head Coach Mike Mayberry
Head Coach Jennifer Wakefield
VOLLEYBALL Head Coach Ellen Kim
Tryouts for fall sports will be on August 8, 2022. You need to have a physical on file with the athletics office before you can try out.
Winter sports options BOYS BASKETBALL Head Coach George Lee
GIRLS BASKETBALL Head Coach Darren Wade
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Spring sports options
Tryouts for spring sports will be February 27, 2023 BOYS VOLLEYBALL Head Coach Andrea Rivera
BOYS GOLF Head Coach Sean Snedeker
GIRLS SOCCER Head Coach Emily Castello
BOYS TRACK
BASEBALL Head Coach Zach Buxman
GIRLS TRACK
Head Coach Mike Nelke
Head Coach Reggie McNeal
Tryouts for winter sports will be October 31 for basketball and wrestling, and November 7 for swimming GIRLS SWIMMING Head Coach Andrea Rivera
WRESTLING Head Coach John Howard
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Find a club to join
ART CLUB
Sponsor Paul Kennedy This club works on art projects outside of school.
CONNECT 4 SUCCESS Sponsor Adriana Quevedo-Boter This club helps students stay in school, keep them motivated to graduate, and become productive members of society.
BAND
Sponsor Hadley Haux You can join Concert Band, Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, or Marching Band, depending on your musical skill level. Students can also join Color Guard or the twirlers.
ESPORTS Sponsor Marlee Hoskins This club focuses on online gaming and competitive tournaments.
GAME CHANGERS Sponsors Blake Hernton, Sharnez Givens, and Ron Steinschriber
FCA Sponsors Matt Elder, John Howard, and Robert Weissler The Fellowship of Christian Athletes club meets to discuss your faith with fellow athletes.
CHOIR
Newcomers may join mixed chorus, and more advanced choir students can join Chamber or A Capella.
FBLA Sponsor Kelly Holloway This club Inspires and prepares students to become business leaders.
GAMES & ANIME Sponsors - Laura Beamer and Christina Thompson
A club that focuses on social justice advocacy. This is a student led club that works in the Ritenour community.
Students in this club play board games and can watch anime after school.
HOSA
KRHS RADIO & TV
GSA Sponsors Kevin Daniels, Grace Manternach & Reagan Smithson
Sponsors Krisstyn Swyres and Juanita Hartmann
Gay Straight Alliance members find a safe space in the school, as well as plan events like Pride Week.
Students in this club learn about the health profession and can compete against students at other schools.
LANGUAGE HONORS SOCIETIES Sponsor Elizabeth Landers (French), Daniel Jones (German) and John Becker (Spanish) Members are selected from advanced French , German, and Spanish classes based on their GPA.
Sponsor Jane Bannester Students in this club learn skills for a career in radio or television.
LEADERSHIP Sponsor Alyssa Johnson Learn leadership skills and plan big school events like homecoming and spirit weeks.
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MELAUREUS
MU ALPHA THETA
Sponsor Ron Steinschriber
Sponsor Penni Martin
Yearbook students work on photography, design, and writing skills to create a book that encapsulates the year.
The math honors society is a group of students who excel in math and meet before school.
NHS Sponsors Danielle Swallow and Jennifer Montgomery The application-based National Honors Society, that focuses on community and the service aspect.
PEPPER BOX ORCHESTRA
Sponsor Blake Hernton
Symphonia Orchestra is for freshmen, Symphonic Orchestra is an intermediate level, and Chamber Orchestra is something that advanced orchestra students can apply to be a part of.
REFLECTIONS Sponsor Colette Love A creative writing club where students and teachers can express themselves through writing and art, and share with their peers.
Sponsor Ron Steinschriber Work on the school newspaper staff. You will write, design, and take photos for the newspaper, online website, and special editions.
RENAISSANCE Sponsor Denise Schindler This club plans events around the school and does many celebrations for positive actions.
SPEECH & DEBATE Sponsor Cole Hartfield Students work on debate skills and compete against students from other schools.
SCIENCE DISCOVERY Sponsor Robert Weissler This club is an extension of science. Students get to choose what experiments they perform and what scientific areas they will be investigating.
RCO Sponsor David Appelbaum Ritenour Cardinal Ordinates is an invitational club that goes on wilderness trips where they work on survival skills.
ROBOTICS Sponsor Christina Demuri A club made to challenge students in all STEMbased fields. Students have the opportunity to design, build, and program a custom robot to compete in various annual challenges.
WORLD LANGUAGE TEEN CONNECTIONS Sponsor Lisa Brougham Students work together to talk about relationship building and communication skills.
Sponsors Elizabeth Landers and John Becker Every week the club focuses on a new culture, and the discussions usually involve food from that culture.
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SECRET PASSAGE TO CAFETERIA
FACS
Business
TRAFFIC JAM
Math
SSD
MORNING ENERGY JOLT - FADLER
CAFETERIA G MORNIN MOOD CHECKL MITCHEL
JONES SIGHTING
SHORTCUT TO ARTS WING WEIGHT ROOM
Math CELL PHONE DUNGEON - NO DATA
FIRST FLOOR
JONES SIGHTING
Foreign Lang.
BEST MORNING GREETING - LOVE
English
POOL
Math
Engineering
Guten tag
Hi baby ducks!
PEPPER BOX FASTEST BUS OFFICE EXIT
COSTILOW
English
Hola Bonjour
TRAFFIC JAM
SECOND FLOOR
Counselors
Library RHS AQUARIUM
MAIN OFFICE
NO PASSING ZONE DURING SCHOOL
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Science
NORTH GYM SHORTCUT
KRHS
INTROVERT HALLWAY
Social Studies
SOCIAL BUTTERFLYSWYRES
TRAFFIC JAM
Science
THIRD FLOOR
Social Studies
COFFEE CREW
HOT WATER FOUNTAIN, BEWARE
JONES SIGHTING REVOLVING DARKROOM DOOR ROOM 310
Science
The Husky Hallway Survival Guide NO FOOD ZONE
Drama
GIC
NO PASSING ZONE DURING SCHOOL
SMOOTHIES SECRET BATHROOM UPSTAIRS
Upper Lobby
BEE CLUB BEE HIVE
Band
Choir
Orchestra
ARTS WING
Auditorium JONES SIGHTING
Lower Lobby SECRET ROOF GARDEN
COLOR KEY SECRET PLACES
Art Gallery Maps drawn by Kaitlyn Hurst, all clipart from freesvg.org
DEAD ZONES PEOPLE JONES SPOTTINGS UNIQUE SPOTS
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What they are saying MATT ELDER HEALTH AND PE
“He is a funny teacher. He will sing you happy birthday and he is the life of the party.” -Terriah Sullivan
JANE BANNESTER MEDIA CONVERGENCE - RADIO, TV “Ms. Bannester is chill as long as you do your work, and she listens to cool 90’s music.” - Madison Berry
HEATHER FADLER MATH “She makes things fun, but she knows how to get on us to do assignments.” - Julia Nunez
DAVID APPELBAUM ART “Appelbaum is pretty cool and chill. He’s helpful, but he’s also good at what he does.” - Grayson Berry
MICHAEL FLOYD SOCIAL STUDIES “Mr. Floyd is very cool. You can joke around with him, but he has boundaries.” - Asia Talley
BLAKE HERNTON ORCHESTRA “Mr. Hernton is an amazing orchestra teacher. I’ve really enjoyed class this year, and he is excellent at picking fun, challenging pieces.” - Kylie Morales
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Here are what the current freshmen think about some of the teachers you might meet next year
JOHN BECKER SPANISH “He is a good teacher. He will make sure you are on track with your work and will make you laugh. He will also make sure you are learning the material.” - Leilani Bazan
GREGORY JONES DEAN OF STUDENTS “Mr. Jones is a great admin. He works hard to make sure kids are on time to class and being productive.” - Aurelia McGinnist
JUANITA HARTMANN SCIENCE “She is a nice teacher, and she is chill. She will help you when needed; she will elaborate about her lessons and she makes her class exciting. She will make the class better and make you actually want to go to class.” - Maggie Bannester
RACHEL HANSER ENGLISH “Something I will tell you is she is an all-around good teacher. She is very sweet, will always offer help when you need it, and will push you to better yourself.” - Diyonna Duke
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Advice from Seniors Janiya Scott Some advice I would give to incoming freshmen is to get involved in the school and stay focused. I made the mistake of not joining any clubs or groups until my junior and senior year, and I ended
up missing a lot of opportunities. Also, just pass your classes even if you do not like the class or get along with your teacher. If you’re gonna be stuck in there anyway, why not pass? Do not just aim for all regular classes, aim for at least one AP class in your high school years. The AP classes aren’t as hard as you think, either. A wise woman, my classmate Gaby Rojo, once told me “If you’re gonna pass a class, why not pass it and get the college credit?” My last piece of advice is to be comfortable being alone. At
Fall FRESHMAN CHECKLIST
Here are a few things that freshmen can be doing to make the most of their first year in school.
Attend a football game. Find some clubs you might want to join. Learn the layout of the school. Go to your first homecoming.
My biggest piece of advice to incoming freshmen is to stay on top of your work. You will have seven classes, so you will have more work than you did in middle school. It can be overwhelming, but I recommend creating a schedule for yourself. I
Spring
Winter Make sure that your grades are solid. Start thinking about next year’s schedule. Go to a basketball game. Attend a school concert.
used one throughout high school, and it helped me manage my time. If you stay on top of your work, your classes will be easier. High school can be stressful, so it’s important to get your homework done to ease as much of the stress as possible. I would also suggest taking classes like health, personal finance, and gym early. I got all of those credits out of the way early, so I was able to take more classes I enjoyed during my junior and senior years. I would also suggest taking classes that fit your interests, even if your friends don’t want to take those classes. It is easier to do the
Ashton Miller
one point in your high school life you may not have friends and be involved in a group and if you are not comfortable alone that will hurt you or your grades. You have to stay focused and not let your friends influence your future. Just because they are your friends now does not mean they will be in the future, and if you let that friend get you to fail a class, you will be more mad at yourself than anyone else. I am not trying to scare you from high school, but let’s be real; when people say it’s an experience they are not lying to you.
Attend the school musical. Sign up to help at special olympics. Schedule summer school classes to get ahead. Run for class office.
work if you like the class. You will also meet new people if you take a few classes with people you don’t already know. Lastly, I recommend joining at least one sport or club. I was involved in something all four years of high school. I joined clubs that fit my interests so I had something to do besides homework. I made new friends and went on a few field trips. I also got out of class a few times to do something with a club. If you plan to go to college, you should join an activity or two to show you like to be involved in school. There are a lot of options to choose from, so figure out what you like and get involved.
It is so much bigger than the middle school. AMARE BARRINER Many people don’t use their lockers and we don’t need a notebook for each class like in middle school. RUTH MARTINEZ VAZQUEZ It’s not as bad as it seems and you won’t be using your lockers as much like in middle school.
Turn in all your work on time. If you get into the habit of procrastination it won’t stop, you’ll keep on saying “I’ll do it later,” but later will never come. You don’t want to take an exam on everything you have learned the whole semester when you haven’t paid attention in class. Also, the final is 20% percent of you grade so keep your grades up. TIFFANY GATHOMA
FAITH MANNING Talk to people and enjoy every moment of high school. TERRIAH SULLIVAN There’s no need to be so tense, just stay on top of work and out of drama. KRISEAN BUCHANA
Stay focused and get your work done. AARIYAH STIMAGE It’s not like how it’s portrayed in movies. MICHAEL CAPONE You’ll get used to it. DEMARION JONES
Don’t make it a habit to come late. JOCELYNN ALONSO LOPEZ Drama is a big thing, and people will constantly be in your business, so don’t be sharing personal information unless those people would never leave you and not share your personal things. LAUREN SUTHERS
ALAZAYA SMITH Keeping up with the work can be difficult sometimes.
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The teachers won’t bug you about your work as much, it’s really up to you to do it. JORDAN TEOLI I wish someone would have told me that high school is serious and your freshman year can affect your whole high school experience. One way to get good grades and do well in all your classes is to always listen and ask questions, whether its through email or in person because your grade matters the most in order to have a successful career.
Advice from the class of 2025 There can be a lot of drama and you just have to try to stay out the mix and keep your head high. CORIELLE BUFFORD Try to take note of the other classes in case you have it next semester. VINCE DUNGO You are with a whole bunch of personalities around the school. A’MIRA COTTON
Don’t skip class, actually pay attention in class because grades actually count now. SAVANNAH BECHER It’s great to do other things beside going to classes, maybe like a club or athletic or something.
JUDY ROJAS I wish someone would have told me to not be shy with your teachers, they’re there to help you. Always ask questions. MEGAN WEISZ
You can’t pass just because you say you will, you have to make it happen and for me you have to force yourself into the mind set of doing work and completing your goals. DEVON RIVERA
Just study, pay attention, and have fun. In the long run doing everything right the first time and managing your time will make everything so much easier. And if you need help please just ask the teachers. They will gladly help you out.
Go to all your classes and always try to work hard, it pays off. You may have friends that have different goals than you and might not be doing good in school. That does not mean you need to be like them just because they’re your friends.
NALA ROSE
DAISY LUVIANO LINARES
JAYDEN GAGNEPAIN
Graduation Requirements 14 l 8th Grade Transition l The Pepper Box
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Graduation Requirements Science English
Math
3 credits Biology
4 credits
3 credits
ELA I ELA II ELA III
Algebra I
Social Studies
3 credits
24
U.S. History 9 World History Government
h Wealt ent/ gem Mana sonal Per ce edit r c 2 1/ Finan
7 credits 1 credit 1 credit
Fine Arts PE
Courses taken in the following subjects satisfy the fine art requirement: 1. Art 2. Music 3. Theatre
Electives 1/2 credit 1 credit
Health
Practical Arts
Courses taken in the following subjects could satisfy the practical art requirement: 1. Business Education 2. Family and Consumer Science 3. Project Lead the Way 4. Media Convergence
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Reset, Ready, RHS
Doing the right thing is always the right thing
