As the sunny days of summer vacation came to a close and students all over the country prepared for another school year, the fresh members of the Class of 2019 and the returning MSMS seniors packed their suitcases this week to set up home in Mississippi’s only public residential high school.

The junior class members flocked onto the MSMS campus on Saturday, laden with truck loads of luggage, teary-eyed parents, and excessive eagerness for a new adventure. On stand-by, ready to unload bags of various dorm supplies, provide smiles of encouragement and words of wisdom, were the 2017-2018 MSMS Emissaries, proudly donning their sky blue uniforms and color-coded bandanas.

Ta’Kiya Moore, one of the Emissaries, expressed her delight in aiding in the juniors’ Move-In Day process.

“As an Emissary and a senior, I can’t wait to see the juniors come in. They’re all going to be anxious, all the anticipation is building up, and they’re as excited as I was last year. I know last year I had all these emotions, so I can understand how the juniors are feeling. Some of them may not be as ready to be away from home, but as this month and this year go by, they’ll come to love MSMS just as much as I do,” Moore stated.

Living in a residential high school may come as a challenge to many, but on Move-In Day, the juniors received the opportunity to not only meet the unique faces of peers from all corners of the state and hear their stories, but they also got the chance to form close bonds and experience memorable moments with the people that will become family.

Lane Hughes, incoming junior, explained his experience on campus.

“Move- In Day was interesting, loads of moving. Everyone was doing a lot of unpacking, but I still haven’t rearranged everything all the way yet. It’s all worth it because we’re all here now, making new friends. We’ve found a lot of things to do even outside of school with the clubs, riding bikes, throwing frisbees, and many more fun things to enjoy,” Hughes said.

While the new pieces of MSMS puzzle underwent a weeklong orientation of campus boundaries, dress code expectations and e-mail etiquette, their seniors returned to the hands of their summer-lost friends and the comfort of Goen or Frazer Residential Halls on Monday.

Campbell Rolph, returning senior, described his happiness in catching up with his MSMS buddies on Senior Move-In Day.

“I was really excited for Move- In Day, mainly because I haven’t seen any of my MSMS friends all summer except through texts and messaging, so I was really excited to be able to see all of them in person again and hang out with them on campus,” Rolph expressed.

With a riveting journey ahead for the members of the MSMS family, they start their days on campus with welcoming friends, engaging extracurricular activities, and homey-decorated dorm rooms. Many individuals believe that Move-In Day is the start of an adventure that will change their young lives.