Eighth-Grade Information
Graduation Attire
James River asks our eighth graders to dress in a more formal way for this significant occasion. The School dress code applies on Graduation Day. All clothing must comply with the School dress code. Traditionally, students wear the following:
- Navy blue or black blazer
- Tie or bowtie
- Dress Shirt (tucked in)
- Dress Slacks (no shorts) with a belt
- Dress shoes (no flip-flops)
- White dress or dressy pants/skirt and white blouse (no strapless, backless, or spaghetti strap dresses)
Please see the Handbook (found in the FACTS Family Portal) for the full dress code.
Career Shadowing
The Career Shadowing Experience, also known simply as Career Shadowing, is an opportunity for the students to visit a business in which they are interested and to observe, in person, for a day how it operates. The students can discuss the pros and cons of a particular field with someone performing that job. The insight they gain into a particular career can be transformative. Many alumni have said how this brief mentorship has stayed with them and helped them by either confirming their interest or helping them see that some other direction might be a better fit.
Whether it has any bearing on their future employment decisions or not, Career Shadowing is exciting. From beginning to end, Career Shadowing is student-led and calls on the many skills students have acquired in their years at James River. The students must:
- be introspective and thoughtful about determining their field of interest and researching the opportunities available in that field.
- communicate effectively with the professional/business mentor to arrange their experience.
- prepare for the visit itself.
- conduct themselves professionally and courteously during their shadowing day.
- thank their professional mentors afterward with a formal letter.
- collate all the information they have gathered.
- prepare a presentation that shows what they have learned, and
- effectively communicate their findings to people from kindergarteners through adults on Career Day in early April.
Eighth graders may obtain more information and the necessary forms from Mrs. Crowther, the Career Shadowing Experience faculty sponsor.