On October 6 and October 13, Benet Academy held a Step-Up Day for seventh and eighth graders who hope to attend Benet in the upcoming years. Both events had over 300 prospective students in attendance. The day started at 7:15 A.M. as students gradually filled up the gym. After check-in was finished, students were given a welcome presentation from Mr. Grigas and Mrs. Peceniak. Once that was over, the students walked to their “first-period class” with their assigned groups. 

Each period was 15 minutes long and included a passing period of five minutes. The students had time to interact with different groups during their lunch and homeroom. During lunch, they were served snacks and water. During their homeroom, they had the option to go to the Alumni Gym or St. Ronald’s Gym. In the Alumni Gym, there were representatives from every sport that Benet provides. In St Ronald’s Gym, there were representatives from multiple clubs at the school. Students were able to do some interactive activities that some clubs offered, but once the bell rang, all the groups got back together and went to their fifth-period class. 

The rest of the day students continued to see many different class options at Benet. After ninth period, students headed back to the gym to see pictures of how their day went. The day came to a close with an ice cream social and the end-of-the-day prayer from Principal Myers. When asked about how the day went, a student who attended the Step-Up Day said, “It was the best experience ever. It was really fun and all the teachers were really nice to us. I’m happy I got to see all the classrooms at Benet.” Not only did the teachers help with making the day fun, but the students who currently attend Benet helped too. Over 100 current students from all grade levels helped the students from many different schools feel like Benet students for a day.