Fifth graders from Ventana Vista elementary school gather for a group photo outside Esperero Canyon Middle School during their visit day on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. 

The gymnasium at Esperero Canyon Middle School was louder than usual on Tuesday, and not because of a basketball game.
More than 60 fifth graders from Canyon View and Ventana Vista had arrived for their first real look at what middle school life is like. They came with lunch boxes, water bottles, and the kind of nervous energy that only a room full of ten-year-olds facing the unknown can produce.
By lunchtime, most of the nerves had been replaced by something else entirely: excitement.


Eagle Ambassadors — paired teams of eighth and sixth graders — were happy to see their former teachers like Mr. Suter from Canyon View.

‘Would you rather fight an alligator or a bear?’
The day was built on a simple idea: let the students who already know the school do the talking.
When the fifth graders arrived, school counselor Mr. Wilton assigned each one to a numbered group. Each group was paired with two Eagle Ambassadors — one eighth grader and one sixth grader — who would serve as guides for the entire visit.
Before anyone set foot outside the gym, the ambassadors led their groups through a set of get-to-know-you questions. Some were lighthearted: “Would you rather have the power to be invisible or be able to fly?” and “Would you rather fight an alligator or a bear?” Others were more pointed: “What are you most excited about for middle school?” and “What are you most nervous about?” The fifth graders had a chance ask questions, too, like: "How tall are the lockers?" and "What do you do on late start mornings?"


A group of fifth graders and their Eagle Ambassador guides share laughs during icebreaker activities in the gym. 

The format worked. Within minutes, the gym was filled with the sound of kids who had just met each other talking as if they hadn’t. The ambassadors, armed with clipboards and conversation prompts, leaned in and shared their own middle school experiences — including what had made them nervous as fifth graders.

Esperero Canyon Middle School Principal Stacey Gist gives a rousing welcome to incoming fifth graders during the school’s annual visit day. 

Principal Stacey Gist then took the floor with a welcome that was equal parts pep talk and comedy routine. Mrs. Griffith followed, explaining what it means to be an Eagle. At Esperero, that comes down to three commitments: be respectful, be responsible, and be academically engaged. It’s a simple framework — be open-minded about differences, support a safe and bully-free environment, take charge of your own learning — but it sets the tone for everything that happens on campus.


Ms. Gist, Mr. Wilton, and Mrs. Griffith organized the day of activities.

Lockers, labs, and the Tomatosphere
Then the doors opened, and the real exploration began.


An ambassor shows fifth graders how to use a combination lock. 

Groups fanned out across campus on carefully planned schedules, rotating through classrooms that spanned the full middle school experience: English, math, social studies, Spanish, art, choir, orchestra, band, and the STEM room. At each stop, the fifth graders got a taste of what instruction looks and feels like at the middle school level.
But for many, the most anticipated stop was the hallway lined with lockers. The ambassadors demonstrated the spin-click-spin of a combination lock, then stepped back and let the fifth graders try. Some cracked it on the first attempt. Others will need more practice. All of them wanted to try again.


Fifth graders crowd around seedling trays under grow lights as they learn about the Tomatosphere research project during their visit to Ms. Smith’s science classroom. 

In Ms. Kelly Smith’s science classroom, the visit turned into a preview of the kind of hands-on learning that defines middle school. Fifth graders were introduced to the Tomatosphere project, a national research initiative in which students grow roma tomato seeds, some of which have been exposed to conditions simulating outer space, to study whether astronauts might one day grow their own food on long-duration missions. The fifth graders crowded around seedling trays under grow lights, their faces lit with the particular intensity of kids realizing that school science can involve actual research for NASA.

‘The best cafeteria ever’
Lunch provided its own form of revelation. The Esperero Canyon cafeteria — larger, louder, and considerably more independent than what these students are used to — was a hit. The fifth graders spread out across the tables, navigating the lunch line and taking in the scene with wide eyes.
One visitor’s review was succinct and definitive: “This is the best cafeteria ever — it has TVs!” By the way, the screens broadcast the day's menu, not actual TV shows.

Eighth graders explain the day's schedule as they tour Esperero Canyon Middle School. 

A musical finish
The day closed with music.
Esperero Canyon’s orchestra, choir, and band each performed for the visiting fifth graders, filling the performance space with the kind of sound that makes a lasting impression on a ten-year-old deciding what elective to choose. Ms. Gabby Ciocca conducted the orchestra students, who drew bows across strings with focused precision. The choir, under Ms. Julia Higgins' direction, delivered a next-level performance of Shenandoah. And the band, led by Mr. Walavich from the center of the room, brought the kind of energy that made a few visitors tap their feet in time with the percussionists.


Ms. Julia Higgins leads to Esperero Canyon Middle School choir as they perform for visiting fifth graders. 

Orchestra students perform during the afternoon showcase for visiting fifth graders at Esperero Canyon Middle School. 

A percussionist carefully follows the band director during a performance for visiting fifth graders. 

By the time the buses pulled away, the fifth graders from Canyon View and Ventana Vista had toured classrooms, cracked locker combinations, learned about growing tomatoes for space, eaten lunch in a cafeteria with televisions, and heard their future schoolmates perform. They left knowing three things they hadn’t known that morning: what their new school looks like, what an Eagle is expected to be, and that middle school might just be something worth looking forward to.

Ending the day with all smiles.