Burke started the school year strong with its newest addition: Kickoff Day. This was held on August 17 and was the school’s attempt at welcoming new students and showcasing everything Burke has to offer. Students were split up by grade level and transitioned to the various activities that were planned for the day. After receiving a lecture from the class administrator, the drama department put on a skit that incorporated vines, jeopardy, and popular songs to reflect the Burke way. Students were also given time to explore different extracurricular activities. Students also visited Mrs. Lannon and two guest speakers who gave presentations on the importance of decisions. 

The clubs that participated in the event planned fun ways to interact with students and get them excited about being involved at Burke. “We made a poster and applications and got candy, then we asked questions,” AP Human Geography and Economics teacher Abbey McNair said.  

Also incorporated into the day was the pep rally where students learned their class chants earlier in the day and were later used in a competition among grades. This part of the day was full of fun activities that got students involved and excited for the start of the school year. 

One would assume the day would be helpful to new students, however junior D’Antra Toombs thought differently. “I went to Central before. I didn’t really learn anything because it’s kind of the same at every school, so there wasn’t anything new to learn,” Toombs said.  

Overall students believed that the day was beneficial, “I thought it was helpful for people that are new to Burke and aren’t really aware of the different activities that we have,” sophomore Alexis Marie said. Some ideas for improvement would be “combining the grades” or “more organization and structure” to the day.