Freshman and Sophomore Parent Night is a much-anticipated annual event at JP Stevens that allows underclassmen parents to learn more about where they fit in regards to their children’s high school success. This year’s Freshman and Sophomore Parent Night was held on January 12 and registered an outstanding attendance of eager parents. Freshman parents in particular were deeply invested in this rare chance to gain profound insight into the often complicated high school experience. The counseling department at JP was responsible for organizing, managing, and executing this event. There was a lot of hard work put in and none of it would have been possible without our dedicated counseling department, including Mr. Brian Glassberg, and the two presenters of the night, College and Career Counselors Mrs. Susan Nadel and Mrs. Janine Silberberg.

Parent Night was an extremely inclusive and interactive occasion with great care being taken to ensure parent satisfaction. Several goals were made during the presentation: to help parents gain an understanding of early college preparation, to provide insight into academic and social activities that can prepare children for a post-secondary journey, and to highlight proactive planning strategies that reduce college application stress.

The night started with detailing the aspects that college counselors can help students with such as college list preparation, financial aid, assistance with the Common App and Scoir, essay reviews, and information on upcoming college fairs. They also outlined the resources available to students in distress including PATH, talking with their school counselors, and the Zen Zone. Shortly after, there was a poll to see current levels of readiness in parents, with results of 18% of parents feeling like they had it already, 50% feeling like they knew quite a bit but it would not hurt to learn more, and 32% feeling like they really needed help in the process. 

“It was simultaneously a fun and eye-opening experience that helped me learn a lot of new things I can use to guide my son,” said Mrs. Seema Rathi, a freshman student’s parent.

After these opening activities, more information was given to parents including crucial details like the importance of academic rigor and the intricacies of grade point averages, how to find extracurriculars students enjoy, and the importance of finding the right college. 

“This information helps families take the guesswork out of what they should be thinking about now in order to understand the possibilities available for the future,” said Mrs. Silberberg. “The presentation helped families set a foundation for academic success, offer insight into selecting extracurricular activities, and proactive strategies like understanding college fit and relating academic interests to major choices.”

This year’s annual Freshman and Sophomore Parent Night was a huge success because of the efforts of the devoted JP counseling team. The counseling department is appreciative of the success and looks forward to its upcoming events like Junior Parent Night, 8th Grade Parent Night, the NCAA Presentation, Financial Aid for underclassmen, Common Application Workshops, and other events to prepare students for their successful futures.