On Dec. 7, students from local private schools enjoyed the annual Private School Shadow Day, during which ASB provided students a glimpse into the campus culture through tours, classroom sit-ins, and activities in the gym.

“It’s been really fun so far,” prospective student and current eighth grader Amelia Accardo said. “There are a lot of cool clubs and different opportunities. I have a lot of friends that go here and I think it would be a lot of fun [to attend PVHS].”

In the past, ASB held a Shadow Day for each of the PVPUSD schools, which caused massive amounts of students on campus. They began to alter the tradition as a result.

“We’d have 15 students coming into the classrooms for the entire period and it was huge,” ASB Director Jama Maxfield said. “We started whittling it down to our current format about 7 to 8 years ago and have stuck to that format with a few adjustments along the way.”

Now, ASB focuses on one Shadow Day, rather than multiple, allowing for a more smooth and calm day. Public school eighth grade students still have the opportunity to get to know the school better through Open House in the spring. For now, Maxfield and ASB prepare for the day by advertising to local private schools, preparing activities, and organizing which classes students will sit-in. 

“They will start with an activity fair in Senior Park and then go to various classrooms and or see things that they have a particular interest in,” Maxfield said. 

“We match the students up with ASB students who share the same interests or can answer questions about the programs that the eighth graders have shown interest in. The parents will meet with the administration and there is a question and answer session at the end that will finalize any lingering questions they might have.”

Through the adjustments though, the day has remained an exciting event for private school students and their parents. Freshman Hadley Schmitz transferred to PVHS from Chadwick School and recalls how her experience at Shadow Day has influenced her high school career so far.

“I saw cheer perform at the shadow day and that’s why I decided to try out,” Schmitz said. “[My first impression was that] PV was big and a bit scary. I started cheer practices over the summer so that was good to get me [acclimated] into the school.”

Students may have a variety of reasons for transferring from their private school to PVHS, including Schmitz’s desire for a larger school with more students. 

“Since it’s bigger, there are more [opportunities] to figure out what you want to do and where you fit,” Schmitz said. 

There are many programs at PVHS which interest prospective students.

““[I’m looking for a school that is] academically challenging,” eighth grader Ajuia Reddy said. “I [also] hear that PV is known for sports and I play softball so I’m really curious about the softball team.”

After weeks of preparation, Maxfield and ASB “feel rewarded” to see their work come to fruition.

“My biggest hope is that they love our home and see how amazing our school is and how many opportunities we have here to offer our students,” Maxfield said. “I really believe this is the best high school in the country and anyone can find their passion here and have a wonderful high school experience where they meet lifelong friends and really get to do it all. If they can meet current students and see how fantastic they are…..and what they can become as well…..then we’ve done our job in showing off our home.”