Fall 2025 Pastries & Principals Recap
On Thursday, September 18, Holland High School hosted our first Pastries & Principals event of the year in the Book Nook. Parents, students, and administrators gathered after school to enjoy treats, conversation, and meaningful dialogue about one central theme: the importance of extracurricular involvement.
Discussion Prompts for Families
To guide the conversation, we asked families to reflect on:
What extracurricular opportunities have been most meaningful for your student, and why? What opportunities are missing?
What partnerships with community organizations or businesses could provide meaningful opportunities?
What talents, interests, or connections do you have that could help enrich student clubs, sports, or activities?
Highlights from the Conversation
Families shared that activities like Student Senate, HYAC, and athletics — even in supportive or practice roles — have made a lasting impact. They noted that sophomore year is often the best time to get involved, once students adjust to high school. Parents also suggested new clubs such as e-sports, anime, or psychology, and Mr. Rumpsa shared that starting a club is as simple as bringing forward an idea and finding a staff supervisor.
Volunteer opportunities were another key focus. Parents encouraged more advertising of community service options, perhaps through a weekly feature or bulletin board, and learned about the launch of the new Rotary Interact Club, centered on the motto “Service Over Self.”
Many parents want to get involved but aren’t always sure how. Booster groups like athletics and band are great starting points, but we can do a better job highlighting other opportunities. Our goal is to make volunteer options clearer and easier to access so families can share their skills and connections in meaningful ways.
Open Forum Feedback
Other suggestions included:
Promoting sports sign-ups and physicals earlier for new families.
Hosting a club fair or fall fair to spotlight opportunities.
Elevating extracurriculars and athletics during registration and enrollment.
Families new to the district also affirmed that the onboarding process has been easy to navigate and tools like the Remind 101 attendance system have been very helpful.
Looking Ahead
We are grateful to the families and students who joined us! We also shared two informational articles about the benefits of extracurricular involvement, which we’ll link here for families to review.
Finally, we invite all parents to continue sharing feedback — both about extracurricular opportunities and about what would make events like Pastries & Principals even more valuable for you as a parent. Your ideas and involvement make Holland High stronger every day.
đź’ˇ Stay Informed: Remember to check the Daily Bulletin on our website regularly for the latest announcements and updates. You can also view a full list of student activities on the website, which is kept up to date as new opportunities are added.
📧 Share your thoughts with us at amehall@hollandpublicschools.org.