A large part of an eighth grader’s journey to finding where they would like to attend their next four years as a high school student depend on the overall community and feel of a high school campus, along with the student life. This is why shadow visits are essential to an incoming student’s decision. Due to health guidelines during the COVID-19 outbreak, shadow visits have come to a halt at St. Thomas High School. Although virtual tours have taken the place of shadow visits, there are many things that a shadow visit offers that a virtual tour cannot. One being, the incoming student cannot fully embrace the St. Thomas community and brotherhood that takes place throughout the school day. One major quality that St. Thomas offers which sets us apart from other Houston area Private schools is the outstanding community and relationships the students have with others and teachers. Without observing this, the prospective student cannot fully embrace what all St. Thomas High School has to offer.

Another characteristic that sets apart a shadow visit from a virtual tour is during a shadow visit, the prospective student can attend each class and observe the academic teaching style. This is just another opportunity a shadow visit allows that a virtual tour does not. By observing the academic teaching style, the incoming student can insure St. Thomas is the perfect fit for him. These are just a few of many losses we encounter when switching from shadow visits to virtual tours. My hope for the 2021-2022 school year, is to safely and effectively bring back in-school shadow visits for both incoming eighth graders and transfer students. Due to these unpredictable times we are in, this might be impractical, but it would greatly affect the admission process in a positive way.