A near record number of future members of the class of 2029 took the entrance exam at Marist High School on Saturday, December 8. A total of 541 students tested.
They arrived around 8:00 a.m. All of the testing students were directed to the main gym to wait until they were moved to a classroom. Tension started to build as eighth graders piled into the gym.
About every 10 minutes, a group of students were taken out of the gym and into a classroom. The gym grew quieter as time passed and fewer kids were waiting. It took about a half hour before the gym was empty and students were ready to start the test.
There are many approaches to studying for the high school entrance exam.
“My mom bought me this book called HSPT. It has practice tests, so I mostly focused on those and looked over a few things I was struggling with as well,” said testing student Grace Zielinski.
Important exams can be nerve-wracking to some.
“I’m a little nervous because I tend to overthink things, but I believe I’ll score well because I was constantly studying whenever I had free time,” said Zielinski.
Others appeared to have more confidence in their abilities.
“I feel good overall because in school our teachers were teaching specific units to work on that would be on the test, and knowing I understand everything makes me feel comfortable with my knowledge, so I did not feel the need to study,” said testing student Emily Kaktis.
Marist provides students with a wide range of programs and activities.
“I think that between the co-ed experience, our strong academics, athletic programs, and our updated facilities, we offer everything that a student could want,” said Admissions Director Kelsey Callahan.
“I chose to test at Marist for a few different reasons. One is when I shadowed; everyone was very welcoming, and throughout middle school, I’ve done multiple volleyball camps, and the coaches were helpful and taught me a lot,” said Kaktis.
“I think Marist will be a great experience. I’m looking forward to meeting new people, trying out for sports, working in a new environment, and growing as a person,” said Zielinski.
The number of students testing for the exam has been fluctuating over the years.
“Through the years we have seen a slight decrease, but that is because the number of students in our overall area has been decreasing a little bit, but Marist has always had high numbers and we test the largest amount of students in our area every year,” said Callahan.
