French exchange students arrive
On Monday, Oct. 10, students from the French exchange program arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. They shadowed their host students’ school day on Tuesday and Thursday and went on sight-seeing trips Wednesday and Friday. They will be in the U.S. for two weeks before flying back to Paris, France.

Welcome Wednesday
The first Welcome Wednesday of the year was held on Oct. 12. Welcome Wednesdays are held once a month for prospective families to see the campus and hear from teachers and students. Each month, a different topic is discussed to help prospective students and their families make an informed decision on what school to attend. This Wednesday’s focus was on academics.

Varsity Sports Meeting
Wednesday morning, Athletic Director Steve Teter sent an email notifying the student body that a mandatory meeting would be held that afternoon for all fall varsity athletes. Teter stressed the importance of being smart and respectful on and off the field during the meeting. The meeting was brief and had no impact on practices.

Labels assembly
On Thursday, Oct. 13, an assembly about labeling members of the community and promoting diversity was held in the extended advisory period. Social studies teacher Darrion Siler led the assembly, and the student body heard from seniors Emma Gromacki, Niko Rice, Katherine Grimm, Yena Kim, and Zach Miller. The main focus of the assembly was to address how labels are used improperly as nouns instead of adjectives in society. After the assembly, students returned to their advisories to answer questions about labeling people and decide if labels serve any valuable purpose.

Lauren Becker is a News Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.