Niles West Activities Curriculum and Fair Night

Incoming freshmen visited West on Thursday, Jan. 20 for Curriculum Night. Eighth graders were given the chance to learn about all kinds of opportunities West provides for students whether it’s academics or clubs.

This event is hosted every year to help students get a feel of the place and see which clubs speak to them. These clubs all gather in either the main gym or field house, and they are all run by students or sponsors who try to get these incoming Wolves interested in the community. 

Many kids from the little nine middle schools attended. They believed the activities fair was very cool and that it offered many opportunities. 

“I think the activities are really cool. They are very diverse and interesting,” incoming freshman Mia Gulianna said. 

“I really like all the activities here. I think that there are so many different options to choose from,” incoming freshman Caroline Latala said. 

“I love how it’s so diverse, and I get to see so many new cultures and a lot of clubs I didn’t even know existed, so I was really happy to see all the stuff,” Noel Bungas said.

“I really like how the clubs attracted me. I literally signed up for so many, but I think my favorite clubs are Assyrian Club and UNICEF,” Reem Hashlamoun said. 

As a middle schooler, walking into a high school with a bunch of older kids can be nerve-racking. Luckily, Orchesis members gathered in front of the field house to perform a number of dances. Looking around the group formed in front of the dancers, you can see a bunch of smiles on the eighth graders’ faces, and their anxiety dying down indicating they are having a fun time.

Aside from the incoming freshman, the students who ran the fair also had a great time. 

“I had a great time doing the fair this year. It was a lot more enjoyable than last year because more kids ended up showing up. It was also very nostalgic to see these kids because it reminded me of my experience in 8th grade. Furthermore, it felt cool to give back the same amount of love and enthusiasm I received when signing up for these things. Compared to last year, I did see more kids signing up for French Club which was exciting. The only thing that was a struggle was getting those kids to come to our booth and sign up, but in the end, I really liked how everything turned out,” junior Mariella Khoshaba said. 

Overall, curriculum and activities night was a huge success for both many incoming freshmen as well as students running the fair.