SWAMPSCOTT — Swampscott High School held a successful open house on November 5. The event was designed primarily for eighth-grade students and their families, but open to the community at large.
Principal Emily Zotto said the open house was run like a fun conference, with students and families having the ability to choose their own adventure. There were many engaging presentations and activities on topics including advanced manufacturing, business and finance, music and the arts, athletics, English and math, and technology and innovation.
“We stressed the three main objectives for our school: a culture of excellence, creating opportunities, and enhancing our school community identity and spirit,” Zotto said.
The event opened with a clubs and activities fair, including math team, environmental club, student council, Anti-Defamation League, amateur radio club, international cultures and traditions club, interact club (community service), and many more. Each sport also had a table.
Snacks were provided and there was a student-run bake sale. The SHS band played in the atrium, followed by a choral performance in the auditorium. Attendees learned about the two Innovation Pathways SHS has up and running in the curriculum across four years — Business and Finance and Advanced Manufacturing — with a third, Media Arts and Design, in development.
One of the most popular aspects of the open house was a live TV production that the studio ran. Students and families in the studio were given roles — sound engineer, newscaster, meteorologist — and a satellite crew was live in the atrium where the broadcasters included them as part of the segment.
“This event was a home run for SHS and our district as a whole. Emily and her team did an amazing job shining the school in the best possible light and showing students and families all the opportunities available to them,” Superintendent Jason Calichman said.
