Families of eighth and ninth grade students were welcomed to Fairport High School on Tuesday for a combined Parent Night event. This coming school year marks the first time that two grades of students will transition to the high school at the same time: September 2026 will see the introduction of ninth and tenth graders to FHS with the consolidation of Minerva DeLand. 

“This program is just the first step in welcoming students and families to high school and helping them understand what life will be like in high school,” said FHS principal Bob Clark. “From course selection to graduation pathways and eventually college or career plans, we have an amazing support system in place to help students adjust to high school.”

Administrators, counseling and mental health staff at the high school shared a broad overview of what incoming parents and students in both grades can expect next school year, both in available programming and with the networks of support available to all FHS students. Fairport High School’s Lead Counselor Francine Newtown shared information about the process students follow to select and schedule classes and the pathways to graduation and a look ahead at honors and designations that students can earn as they leave FHS. 

“I appreciated [FHS Lead Counselor] Francine [Newtown] spending so much time on the different diplomas and the pathways to meet requirements,” said a parent of a current junior and students entering both ninth and tenth grades. Many parents at the event echoed this, saying in an exit survey that the amount of information to process is significant, but that the team at FHS presented it in a way that wasn’t overwhelming.