This October, hundreds of families filled the hallways of Townsend Harris High School as the annual fall open house welcomed prospective students from across the city. Prospective students were introduced to the school community and various programs offered at THHS ahead of the high school admissions season.

The Student Union and Guidance Department organized the event with the help of current upperclassmen as volunteers who guided prospective students and their families through the school building, showcasing some classrooms and the gymnasium. As part of the experience, volunteers informed their groups about extracurriculars, service requirements, and academics.

The new Assistant Principal of Guidance, Shikira Chang, discussed the scale of the event: “We have approximately 120 students signed up to be tour guides,” she said, in order to facilitate “about 5,000 to 7,000 people [who] show up that day.”

She praised the leadership role that students take at the school. “Townsend is unique in that the students are leading everything here…that there are opportunities for them to express themselves in other ways that are not academic,” Ms. Chang said.

One of the things students take the lead on is the annual hallway decorating tradition of Spirit Week.

SU Club Liaison Aki Benjamin said that as part of the tour, “[Prospective students]  thankfully got to see hallway decorating in its full form because that happened just hours before the open house.”

The tours occurred in groups of 500 people, with each group first hearing Principal Brian Condon speak in the auditorium. Addressing the crowd, Mr. Condon said, “I’ve never been more excited than when I walk into the building each day to see what these kids are doing.”

Freshmen Sophomore Class Co-President Siddhini Singh, said, “The main focus is to make sure each tour goes smoothly.” Siddhini also emphasized that clear communication was needed to make sure everyone stayed engaged and safe at the same time.

During the open house, there were two academic teams present: Robotics and Science Olympiad. As part of his role, Aki said, “I had to communicate with [these clubs] and work alongside Mr. Choudhury to make sure that they would have a presence there.

Sophomore Volunteer Preston Romero, said that the experience gave him a chance to “know the school a little better.”

Another sophomore volunteer, Chloe Rissmeyer, said, “I think it’s important that we can share our experience for people who aren’t sure if they want to go here or just want to know more about it.”

Siddhini said that Open houses give students “the opportunities [available] to us. To show Townsend in the greatest light that it can be is very helpful for these eighth graders to learn what the school’s about.”

Aki said that prospective students “got to see room 410, which is such a unique room compared to … every other school that they’re looking at. They got to see the huge chemistry room…they  got to see our bio lab.”

When asked what interested them, prospective student Nicole Vroulas said, “the classroom [Room 410] … looks really cool. It would be nice to be in that classroom setting.”

Another prospective student, Summer Tsai, said “I like that there’s [many] cultures around the school, and [that] students understand each other. It’s a great community.”