Last month, the Aspire Outreach club hosted its Student Voices Forum at Townsend Harris, offering middle school students and their families guidance on navigating the high school admissions process. The event featured presentations, activities, and opportunities for students to ask club members questions about the transition to high school.
The forum, part of Aspire’s mission to support students through the journey of high school, focused on clarifying the admissions process and introducing attendees to the range of student opportunities available across New York City and in the Department of Education.
Recognizing that many families feel overwhelmed by the process, Aspire advisor and interim acting assistant principal of guidance Shikira Chang emphasized the importance of accessibility: “As an educator, one of the concerns I have is making sure that all families have access [to information],” she said. “Even I feel stressed as a parent. You want to make sure that you find the right fit for your child.”
Throughout the seminar, participants engaged in activities designed to help them evaluate their interests and priorities. In one exercise, students reflected on general preferences such as school size. In another activity, they created posters showcasing their academic and extracurricular interests before exploring schools that had programs that aligned with those areas of interest.
“These questions really help the students to develop their vision of where they see themselves in their four years of high school,” said Aspire president Elvis Chan.
Freshman Esther Chan said that guests began to bond: “[The event] allowed them to get to know each other and to socialize with other people.”
For families and students unfamiliar with the NYC high school system, the seminar addressed common challenges, including navigating sites such as MySchools and understanding admissions programs.
“You need to plan ahead. Students need to know what the requirements are. You have to do research,” said Acadia Chow, a freshman and member of Aspire Outreach.
Aspire members noted that they once faced similar confusion. Junior Phillip Lee said, “I moved to New York during the end of my freshman year and I knew nothing about applying to high schools,” he said.“I wanted to be the friendly face that I never had when applying to high schools.”
According to Ms. Chang, the forum was a success, with more than 120 signed up families. The event concluded with a Q&A session for students and parents to bring up any other topics.
Sophomore Vivienne Chen said, “The parents were easygoing, and it was enjoyable talking and interacting with them as we presented. In the end, the atmosphere wasn’t so tense and everyone managed to have a good time at this seminar.”
According to Aspire president Elvis Chan, the group will continue hosting events that help middle school students transition academically to high school while also encouraging them to discover who they are outside the classroom.
