Today, March 5, at 2 p.m., dozens of eighth graders from various schools across Ann Arbor arrived at the place many of them will spend countless hours in the next four years: Community High School.

Not only did the incoming students get to connect with and learn about Community, the positive experience went both ways. Current CHS freshman Born Jensen thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“It was very fun, and it certainly felt like kinda nostalgic,” Jensen said. “I see a lot of enthusiasm, but I also see a lot of like nervousness.”

Only a year ago, he was in the place of the students he welcomed today. He knows that going to a school where you may know fewer people can be scary, but in the end, Jensen strongly believes that it is worth it.

For some students, CHS has always been the top choice for high school. Mira Carlson, an eighth grader at Slauson Middle School, assumed she would likely be accepting her spot at Community, but today she had a chance to solidify the reasoning behind that decision.

“I saw like some of my friends from other schools, and they had their friends that l’ve never met, and I met them,” Carlson said.

She got to experience the culture of CHS at today’s event, growing her excitement, and making her less nervous for the transition to high school.