On Monday, October 24th the school was filled with prospective Paint Branch freshmen and their families as they gathered for the annual Open House. The eight graders walked the halls with wide-eyes as their parents pointed out all of the interesting programs and opportunities on display.

The night began as everyone gathered in the auditorium to hear Dr. Yarbrough speak on behalf of the school and watch a video that profiled many of the school’s programs including media, medical careers, and, of course, athletics. They also saw the Marching Band, POMs and Jazz Singers perform. Afterward, all those in attendance joined with student-tour guides to walk throughout the school and learn more about it.

The first floor was covered in booths and tables to showcase the extensive clubs and extracurricular activities that are available at Paint Branch. As students walked up to the second floor, a band greeted them in the hallway by the top of the stairs. On the second floor, families also saw the ASA group perform.

The third floor was where most of the excitement was as this year a new twist came to Open House as the annual science expo set up shop for the night as well. This is the first time the science department hosted the science expo in collaboration with Open House. Students in AP Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP Physics filled classrooms with cool labs and experiments to get the students excited about what Paint Branch has to offer in science.

According to Science Department Resource Teacher Mrs. Leffler, the night was a definite success. “Having the science expo on Open House night was the best decision ever!” said Mrs. Leffler. “We had hundreds of students and their parents coming through and interacting, observing, asking questions.  There was general excitement among the science teachers and their student presenters.  I have to give a special thanks to Dr. Yarbrough for giving us the freedom to try this new approach.”