On the night of August 22, Diamond Bar High School’s annual Back-to-School Night kicked off with an electric start to the year, allowing parents and guardians the opportunity to step into their students’ shoes and experience the feeling of walking from class to class to meet teachers,gathering information about the upcoming school year.
Starting the night off with a warm welcome from United Student Body (USB) at the main gates, booths filled with parent support groups, and even a snow cone truck, Back-to-School night began in full swing. There was also an opportunity for parents and students to purchase snacks and student items from the student store.
The DBHS band department began with a loud and lively performance setting the tone for the night, along with principal David Hong who welcomed families in the quad and demonstrated his heartfelt wishes and goals for the upcoming school year in his speech, in which he specifically highlighted his motto for the 2024-2025 period: “You Belong Here”.
“I want students and parents to know they belong here at Diamond Bar,” Hong said. “I wanted them to know that there are opportunities for them on campus to support them.”
After Hong’s opening address, parents were free to venture and explore the campus further through the maze of hallways and classrooms. Following their students’ daily schedules, families were greeted by their student’s teachers and briefed with an overview of the class material and yearly expectations.
“I was very impressed by how the teachers organized the learning material and requirements needed to fulfill the class,” One parent, Mr. Morris stated.
Following the evening of the event, Back-to-School Night reported much positive feedback as it gave parents a sense of belonging and nostalgia along with providing them with a deeper understanding of their students’ education, whereas teachers also felt supported with the parents’ visit into their classrooms. A lot of the positive feedback can be directed towards USB for the hours of painting and decoration setting up for the night, along with the DBHS staff, admin, and teachers.
“I was amazed and shocked by how much Diamond Bar High School developed over the years. I didn’t even realize. It made me miss my high school years back when I went to Diamond Bar High School,” another parent noted.