Maggie Walker classrooms and hallways were packed with special visitors during the second week of March. Eighth graders accepted into Maggie Walker or placed on the waiting list, who are colloquially known as “Baby Dragons” or “Future Dragons,”  had the opportunity to learn more about Maggie Walker and all the different activities that take place during their Future Dragon Day. Throughout the week, future students came to Maggie Walker based on what district they were from. Chesterfield students toured Maggie Walker on Monday, Henrico and Hanover students came on Tuesday, students from smaller counties like New Kent visited the school on Wednesday, and on Thursday, baby dragons from Richmond finally got their opportunity to explore Maggie Walker with their tour guides. Before each day  began, tour guides prepared their 8th graders by asking them to introduce themselves and let them ask any questions they might have before their action-packed tour.

Eighth graders started off their Future Dragon Day by heading to the auditorium for a proper introduction to their day and Maggie Walker. To start off, the Future Dragons heard speeches from members of administration like Dr. Lowerre, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Williams. Dr. Lowerre gave them general information about Maggie Walker while recounting interesting stories and jokes that likely intended to help the future freshmen feel more comfortable and less intimidated by the high school experience. Dr. Smith and Dr. Williams focused on two key facets of Maggie Walker life: The Walker Way and the Four Pillars of Maggie Walker. An introduction video containing testimonials from students was also played so that future students could get additional perspectives about life at Maggie Walker. Mr. White, one of the leaders of the Future Dragon Days, also gave a speech about language and math placement tests. After the speeches, Future Dragons broke off into their respective tour groups to bond with other prospective students through icebreaker activities before heading off to their first session.

The time between the opening session and the end-of-day activities was split into 11 different blocks, eight of which involved touring various 9th and 10th grade classrooms. “I thought it was cool that [the Future Dragons] got to see the classes they’d be taking next year,” said sophomore Mackenzie Parr. She felt that it gave them a glimpse into the classroom environment and an opportunity to meet a lot of “our really amazing teachers.” Two of the three remaining blocks were when the Future Dragons played a scavenger hunt to learn more about Maggie Walker the individual as well as different parts of the school. These spots included the black box, the auditorium, the trophy case, and more! It was an opportunity for the students to work together with their potential future classmates as well as learn more about the history of the school. The remaining time slot out of the 11 time blocks was allotted for a Freshman Q&A session. Future Dragons had the opportunity to ask any general questions they had pertaining to student life and hear personal stories and perspectives about freshman life and the transition between middle school and high school. 

Future Dragon Days couldn’t have been possible without its tour guides. Parr, for example,  led the tour for Chesterfield students.  She chose to be a tour guide because of her experience from when she was a Future Dragon. “I remember when I shadowed how much I loved my guides and how they made my day for me.” She felt her tour guides played a major role in her decision to come to Maggie Walker. Parr’s favorite thing about being a tour guide was “meeting the new students ‘cause a lot of them were really energetic and interesting to talk to.” Parr also enjoyed being able to share her experience at Maggie Walker and providing helpful information to the future dragons. Madin Murthy (‘26) shared similar sentiments to Parr about his favorite part of being a tour guide. “I enjoyed meeting new people and hearing what our Future Dragons will have to offer next year,” said Murthy. His Future Dragons also learned how easy it is to trust the Maggie Walker student body. Murthy elaborated by explaining how his group “forgot several items and each time we found them either at the front office or where they had forgotten them.”

In addition to the tour guides, Future Dragon Days couldn’t have run as smoothly as it did without the teachers who oversaw the planning process. Madame Paturel is part of the sub-events committee and part of her responsibility is helping out with Future Dragon Days. “I handled the training aspect of things,” said Paturel. Aided by Ms. Sheppard, she presented a PowerPoint that informed the tour guides of their duties. “Training is always super important for any students that will be representing the school,” said Paturel. She felt lucky to have a great pool of students to be volunteers, and through training, the prospective freshmen hopefully are left with a “positive and professional” impression of the freshmen and tour guides leading the Future Dragon Days. “We want our guides and panelists to be honest, but to temper their individual experiences with a more positive light where possible,” said Paturel. In addition to Ms. Sheppard and Mme. Paturel, Future Dragon Days was also organized by another teacher. “Shout out to Mr. White for doing the hardest parts,” said Paturel, which included putting all the groups and their schedules together. Mme. Paturel’s favorite part of organizing Future Dragon Days was the effort the school puts in to welcome the Future Dragons. “I think it’s a great way to start seeding the building of a community with each new class,” she said. Paturel plans  next year to give teachers a heads up about the Future Dragon Day dates further in advance to avoid last minute scrambling to reschedule tests.

Overall, the Future Dragon Days are always a great experience for future and current Dragons to learn about and showcase the wonderful parts of Maggie Walker. Through the tours and different activities, the Maggie Walker community officially began welcoming the Class of 2028 to the amazing school! As Mme. Paturel put it, “It’s definitely chaotic, but well worth it in the end.”