Prospective freshmen and their parents attended the 12th annual Cardinal Kickoff on Feb. 19.

eMotion, cheer, orchestra and other groups performed for the prospective freshmen in the auditorium at the beginning of Cardinal Kickoff. Students explored the school’s clubs and activities afterwards, with clubs lined up with table numbers in alphabetical order.

Redbird Productions president and senior Emma Kolah said Cardinal Kickoff is a good way to get incoming students interested in different clubs.

“I think Cardinal Kickoff is a really unique thing about Bellaire and it’s something that I think would help people want to come to Bellaire,” Kolah said. “Especially for theatre, because it’s something that they have to audition for prior to starting their freshman year.”
Chinese Club president and sophomore Kat Huang said Cardinal Kickoff would be helpful for incoming freshmen.

“Cardinal Kickoff is a very useful place to integrate yourself into the incoming community that you’re going to join,” Huang said. “It’s an opportunity to find your group of people, especially if you’re coming from a different school that’s not in HISD at all like I did. It’s a great [event].”

Incoming freshman Laila Hassan said she really liked Cardinal Kickoff and seeing what Bellaire has to offer.

“Seeing all the different clubs and activities was really cool [and] it definitely made me want to join a bunch of clubs because I got to see what they were all about in-person,” Hassan said. “Debate stood out to me the most because I’ve been doing debate for almost two years, so I really want to learn more about the program.”

Hassan said that she and her friends were able to get “a lot” of information about class levels and electives she could take through Cardinal Kickoff. She also mentioned that it was “fun” to see the different dance teams perform.

“It was a lot of fun,” Hassan said. “I knew Bellaire was a really big and diverse school, so I was definitely excited. I’m glad I went.”

To learn more about Bellaire’s events and daily activities, follow its Instagram at @bellairehigh.