The Eighth Grade Visit at Pacifica is an annual orientation day, where middle schoolers from schools, such as Bell and Alamitos Intermediate have the chance to tour the campus with Mariner Mentors and ASB members. This event was hosted on January 29th, 2026, starting at 9:00 AM and ending at 11:00 AM. During this time, the students experienced the environment at Pacifica and were guided to tables by designated classrooms to introduce them to teachers and staff. Different school programs and clubs were also promoted to show students activities they may be interested in joining. Through this, students fostered a sense of familiarity with their new surroundings. In doing so, it helped to reduce any anxiety the students may face during this time of transition and help them to prepare for what’s to come in the future.

When interviewing Pacifica’s Vice-Principal, Ms. Ibarra on more specific details when it came to organizing the event itself, she explained how the Eighth Grade Visit is a district-sponsored event, where all the eighth graders from the intermediate schools in the Garden Grove district will get a chance to visit their home high school. This year, a large majority of the upcoming 9th graders were primarily from Bell Intermediate, with three hundred students attending. Along with that, thirty-seven students came from Alamitos Intermediate as well as four other students from three other middle schools. Moreover, when asking Ms. Ibarra about her involvement herself in this orientation day, she described that she worked with the assistant principals at the intermediate schools, where the 8th graders would be attending, to coordinate the event as well as the ASB director, Ms. Murphy. On top of that, Ms. Ibarra also worked with the cafeteria to help prepare food for visiting eighth graders and other teachers, who wanted to promote information about the clubs or certain classes, which could be seen in the tables that were set across campus and performances given by Mariners as a part of different programs like NJORTC, Encore, Cheer, etc.

When it came to the actual process of leading the tours for the eighth graders, current junior and Mariner Mentor, Tiffany Hong, was asked for her experience on how this played out. For some context, Hong has been a Mariner Mentor for two years now and explains how, “As a Mariner Mentor, our role is to make high school seem less intimidating and to let them know how Pacifica functions.” By taking on that position, Hong wants to help upcoming freshmen to not only feel integrated into high school but also help assuage the anxiety they may be feeling, which she commented to have experienced before as well. Meanwhile, when asked about the touring process, Hong said, “First, the eighth graders are given a number that corresponds to the group that they follow, and the group Mariner Mentors are assigned to are also given numbers (there are anywhere from 2-3 mentors leading a group). Then, after they view the presentation given by Mrs. Bartlett, the Mariner Mentors lead the eighth graders (with a supervisor that’s a teacher in their middle school in case anything goes terribly awry) around the campus, explaining the sports, classes, and clubs they can take in high school. Also the groups were given a packet of what to say about each station, some of which have representatives of said activity and QR codes and candies the eighth graders can take, in case they are not the most familiar with it. Afterwards, they are given snacks often available during break and are led to the gym where they view several more groups performing, play a game organized by ASB, and learn more about the opportunities in Pacifica that was shown during the tour.”

Furthermore, one of the main goals of hosting this annual orientation day at Pacifica is to help the upcoming ninth graders become more familiar and to mentally prepare them for their transition from middle to high school. Vice-principal, Ms. Ibarra, even goes on to remark, “I remembered being an eighth grader and thinking about going to high school and it was scary. A lot of the kids are nervous about going to high school. Bell and Alamitos are small, and now they’re coming to this big campus. I even remember, with my own kids, that I dropped them off for an eighth grade visit at a high school. So, I think it helps to make them feel less uncomfortable and less nervous, and also to promote what Pacifica has to offer, all of our programs. So, kids saw NJORTC, they saw dance, they saw encore, they learned about Unified PE and all the other clubs.” This aim behind the Eighth Grade Visit itself was also supported by Mariner Mentor, who commented, “The eighth grade visit gives a sense to the eighth graders that high school is actually pretty chill. Additionally, the classes and clubs are explained so that they have an idea of what classes to pick when registration comes for them and so they know what to expect in high school. Media such as movies and other extreme high school stories peppered throughout the internet kind of give a sense that there’s always drama in high school and that there’s extreme division between grades and people who are interested in different things.” From these comments alone, it is evident to see how hosting these events and the role of Mariner Mentors aid in debunking the potential negative assumptions upcoming freshmen may associate with transitioning high school. Since it gives those students a chance to directly experience high school firsthand, it encourages these eighth graders how this change is for the better rather than the worse.

As a result, the success that comes from hosting the Eighth Grade Visit and the positive impact it leave, upcoming freshmen has been the reason why this orientation day gradually became such an important tradition at Pacifica. From the effort alone, it displays the willingness that all schools have in the Garden Grove district to help their students, in the process of transitioning into a new stage of their educational journey. After all, by having this small introduction alone it will naturally help the students become familiar with the campus and ease any anxiety they may be experiencing. Additionally, it will especially give them an opportunity to witness Pacifica’s school spirit and what it has to offer the eighth graders as upcoming freshmen.