Not even gray skies, cool temperatures and the looming possibility of a teacher strike could dampen spirits Friday at a community barbecue hosted by Kent-Meridian High School.
The event, the second in what organizers hope will become an annual tradition, occurred after two days of orientations in which more than 1,000 students took tours of the school to find their lockers and get a sense of where they’ll be spending the next four years.
According to principal Wade Barringer, the barbecue is a chance for the community to get involved in the lives of those students.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to be a part of our learning community,” he said.
More than 25 vendors including restaurants, the police, Parks and Recreation and other businesses from the area were on hand Friday to help welcome the nearly 500 incoming freshman.
“It also gives the community an opportunity to see how great our kids are,” Barringer said.
With a focus on cultural diversity, the picnic also featured entertainment from the school’s own state champion Royal Dynasty Dance Team as well as performances from several local cultural dance centers.
“It shows the new families and the community what our diversity is and we really embrace that,” said Campus Manager Debbie Theisen, adding that 49 different languages are spoken at the high school.
For incoming freshman the barbecue topped off an exciting week or high school preparation.
“I thought it was great,” said James Hsu, 14, of the orientation as he waited to buy some Kent-Meridian spirit wear for his first year in high school. “It’s a great campus to be at.”
Hsu said he was excited to get started with the year and though he had heard some stories about upperclassmen while he was in middle school, he was pleasantly surprised to find the upperclassmen friendly and helpful.
“It’s totally not true, at least for here,” he said of the tales of older students picking on freshman.
“It’s more welcoming than I thought it would be,” echoed Lexzi Wagner-Rasmussen, who also went through orientation.
Both Wagner-Rasmussen and fellow freshman Michael Kaneko said they were excited about getting the year started and that there were few surprises in the exploring the bigger school.
“Big lockers,” Kaneko said, smiling, “I didn’t expect big lockers.”
Theisen said the barbecue has been so successful over the past two years, especially with restaurants, that there is talk of a “Taste of K-M” for next year as well as the community barbecue.
This year, the school paid for only hot dogs and chips, one of the many food options spread out through the school’s parking lot, but according to Barringer, it is all worth it to give the community and the new students a chance to get to know each other a little bit better before they get don to the serious work of the school year, hopefully allowing some connections to be made for future possibilities.
“It was really good,” Barringer said. “It’s just a great opportunity.”
School is scheduled to begin Aug. 31.
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