"This year's freshman welcoming party is about to begin! Welcome to all the teachers and students present today. Next, please welcome our principal to the stage to say a few words..."
In a rural middle school like this, it was actually quite rare to host a formal welcoming party for freshmen. Many schools would simply gather the incoming students together in broad daylight for a brief speech from the principal, and that would be it. It was only in the past couple of years, with the local town's economy improving and the school making more money, that they began to place importance on the welcoming party as a promotional effort.
