Homestead Orientational Program (HOP) continued its effort to integrate the new freshman class to HHS with an introductory social in the quad last Friday. At the event, popsicles were handed out to the class of 2020, and students were given the opportunity to reconnect with their HOP leaders.

The social, or HOPsicle party as some HOP commissioners called it, was the first of such events catered toward welcoming freshmen to HHS this year.

“This past year HOP Day was super successful, but I would have to say this is one of the best socials we have had within my time as a HOP Commissioner,” senior HOP Commissioner Danielle Genovese said. “We got a lot of involvement and a lot of people that showed up, and that always turns out well.”

Other HOP commissioners agreed with a similar sentiment.

“For what we did, I think we had a pretty good turnout, but there is always room for improvement,” junior HOP Commissioner Audrey Devara said.

In addition to positive feedback from HOP, the freshman class expressed appreciation for the picnic.

“It’s good to know that the HOP leaders are there after school and you can talk to them about school,” freshman Paige Miner said. “These events give you a time to meet up again and they can give you more advice.”

While HOP has been hosting socials for a few years, the new events were prompted by the previous year’s HOP leaders wanting to remain in contact with the freshmen throughout the year.

“On HOP day, the leaders gave some really good advice that I still use today. Like to bring a jacket everyday, bring water… And it’s been really helpful and made starting high school a lot easier,” Miner said.

One of the main goals of HOP is to make sure freshmen are included in school activities and to give them a safe place to ask questions or advice from their leaders, Genovese said.

“HOP is a program that doesn’t just stop after the first day of school. Most people just assume it’s just the orientation day, but HOP really continues on throughout the school year,” Genovese said “So if you ever need something, you should come to HOP, [especially] when it comes to freshmen.”