NORWICH – Members of Norwich’s Class of 2013 got their first taste of life at the Norwich High School on Wednesday during a preliminary freshman orientation. While the concept of a new student orientation is nothing new for the district, this year’s program has a bit of a twist.

Normally, teachers and administrators are tasked with handing down the do’s and don’ts of high school protocol to the current crop of ninth graders and their parents. But this year, they were not the only ones asked to impart their knowledge and wisdom. Also addressing the group of incoming students were a group of upperclassmen who without a doubt could be considered the foremost experts in that field. After all, who better to help the freshman class become acclimated to their new school than other high school students?

“It’s a very different lifestyle here at the high school,” explained the building’s new assistant principal, Scott Ryan, as he spoke the students and parents who gathered for the orientation.

While academics remain of paramount importance at the school, Ryan said, another key to success in the high school is each student’s level of “connectedness” to both the school and their fellow students. Being connected can be measured by a student’s involvement in various extracurricular and co-curricular activities, like athletics and band, as well as how they support other students in their endeavors.