“Tonight was a very-well-put-together event; what we showed is indicative of what we do here on a daily basis.”

These comments, by PB math teacher Mr. Feher, shed light on not only what he – and other staff members – think of PB’s annual Back-to-School Night, but also what parents can take away from such an event.

As Mr. Feher noted, Back-to-School Night at Paint Branch High School on Thursday, September 11th was an evening for parents not only to meet their children’s teachers, but also to acquire a true sense of what happens in school each and every day.

From parents gushing about the flawless organization of the events during the course of the evening to teachers who were ecstatic about how many parents showed up, this evening was a microcosm of the school year to come – a year of excitement, of well-coordinated events, and of hard work.

The program for BTSN ran from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. The night commenced with a stroll along the MLK Boulevard hallway where parents and students viewed the tables set up to highlight various clubs and organizations at Paint Branch. Theses tables consisted of eager students, staff, and volunteers squirming to give parents any information they could about their clubs.

These clubs and groups included the Engineering Club, George B. Thomas Saturday School, Japanese Program, Educational Systems Federal Credit Union, Rebecca A. Baber Academy of Finance, Child Development, NJROTC-Navy JROTC, Internship Program, Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts, MCPS Family and Community Partnerships, Academy of Health Professions, National Honor Society, Paint Branch Perspectives, AVID, NAACP Parent Council, Paint Branch Educational Foundation, PTSA, Aestus-Literary Magazine, Journalism, Meet the Administration, PB Athletic Boosters, Paint Branch Band Boosters, Felidae-Yearbook, Counseling Department, a PSAT Registration table and more.

“It was neat to look at all the programs,” said a parent, Ms. Ellis. “I didn’t even know some were there. The students presenting had great energy.”

An announcement at 7:00 p.m. told parents to head to their students’ homeroom classes, and the visiting and discussions around the tables came to a smooth close as a PB cello soloist, Peter Franklin, 12th grade, ended his performance at the grand staircase.

As is the case with most BTSN events, parents – some quite baffled by the size and scope of the building – rushed to find their students’ homerooms. This confusion would continue as parents scuttled through the halls for the remainder of the night. Luckily, however, student volunteers from NJROTC, cheerleaders, poms, and National Honor Society were there to guide the parents on their way.

Asked to gauge their experience in finding their kids’ classrooms, parent responses varied from “Numbers of the room floors confused me, but the NJROTC students helped me,” to “It wasn’t hard.”

When staff, students, and parents were asked how they felt about the Back to School Night process, many replied in similar fashion to 12th grader Marianne Salazar who said, “I think it’s a great way for parents to be informed.”

Paint Branch Social Studies Resource Teacher Mr. White expressed, “It’s a great turnout, and we love all the student volunteers that pitched in to make the night great.”

“The parents finally got to know our struggles in the hallway,” said Jezica Siarez, a senior.

Dr. Rogers, who was in charge of making sure the evening went smoothly and everyone knew their role, thought that the evening went well. “I love when our community can come together to meet with our teachers for one common goal,” stated PB’s proud principal.