“Wait wait wait, I got one,” said one freshman, offering his ‘words of wisdom’ during SDA’s Making the Choice Night last Thursday. “Wherever you go, take your heart with you.”  He joined in on the sarcastic “Wowww”’s and laughs from his friends before continuing his tour around the campus fair.

Clubs, electives, and sports teams set up tables to promote the opportunities available at SDA to current middle school students faced with the choice of deciding their future high school.  Students from Japanese class offered their traditional tea, while auto shop displayed a motorcycle the class built and robotics showcased the project they entered in last year’s contest.

By 6 p.m., students and parents from various middle schools had begun to arrive and look at the choices displayed around the Mosaic Cafe.  Many brochures later, they filed into the gym to hear Principal Tim Horning’s speech about SDA and what it has to offer.

At 7 p.m., the audience divided to attend four sessions of their choice, each running 15 minutes and all ending by 8:15.  The sessions were held by teachers and students, with each focused on a different area of information about SDA, including electives, classes, and general information such as the athletics program or AP classes.

“I think when students are choosing a high school they really need to think about what is most important to them,” said healthcare essentials teacher Jennifer McCluan.  “If it’s important to them that they have a lot of choices for classes, then they probably want to consider a school that offers that.  If it’s important to them that they have a more traditional high school experience, and, for example, want that football game on Friday nights, they need to consider that.”

Making the Choice Night served as a way for possible incoming freshmen to explore SDA and see what it has to offer, whether they were seeing it for the first time or they needed a deciding factor.

“My first impression of the school was very accepting of everyone,” said Kristin Komar, a current eighth grader at Diegueno Middle School.

Sofia Gartland, another Diegueno student, had a similar reaction. “I like the diversity of all the students,” she said after circling through the booths.

Current Diegueno eighth grader, Yarisette Sequeira, had already decided the school she wanted to attend.  “I first thought [a] long time ago that SDA was a super artsy school with almost everyone as artists,” she said.  She wanted to be a part of SDA’s “welcoming environment,” and continue her interest in sports, acting, and being a part of different clubs.

Parents were also able to browse and attend the sessions.  “Everybody was definitely excited about their clubs and about their school, and I think it was a good set up,” mentioned one parent after the event. Another parent added, “I like that it has a lot of different kinds of programs-strong on the arts, music, and just a variety of choices of things for people to do.”

“How are you not nervous?” asked Gartland after her friend said she wasn’t concerned about starting high school.

“Isn’t everyone nervous for their first day no matter what grade they’re in?”  Komar said, sharing the feeling of anticipation. “I am definitely very nervous and excited at the same time, but I mostly can’t wait to find the person that I want to become.”