Senior and Family Information

Senior Schedule

• 8:00 AM: Doors open for Seniors and guests. Seniors will enter through the Bell Street Entrance immediately across the street from the Tundra Garage. Cross Bell Street to enter the building.

• 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM: Proceed to our campus’s seating section on the court. After entering the building, seniors proceed down the steps through the Section 101-126 seating entrance and find our campus's seating section on the court.

• 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM: Attendance checks and seating. From when they arrive until 8:45 AM, all students must locate their seats.  At 8:45 AM, your college counselors will take attendance.  Starting at 8:00 AM, counselors will be in our campus seating area to help you find your seat and check all students are in the dress code.

• 10:15 AM - 10:45 AM: Pre-Show Program and Lunch Distribution. A sack lunch will be provided to all Seniors at Senior Signing Day.  These lunches will be distributed after rehearsal to Seniors for Seniors to eat when they are hungry during the program. 

• 10:45 AM - 1:45 PM: Senior Signing Day.  Seniors will have the opportunity to declare their college or military pathway to their families and the YES Prep Community. Campuses will declare one at a time in reverse founding order.  Campus Declaration Order is below:

  1st	YES Prep Southside Secondary
  2nd	YES Prep Eisenhower High
  3rd	YES Prep White Oak Secondary
  4th	YES Prep Northbrook High
  5th	YES Prep Fifth Ward Secondary
  6th	YES Prep Northside Secondary
  7th	YES Prep North Forest Secondary
  8th	YES Prep Brays Oaks Secondary
  9th	YES Prep West Secondary
  10th	YES Prep Gulfton Secondary
  11th	YES Prep East End Secondary
  12th	YES Prep Southwest Secondary
  13th	YES Prep North Central Secondary
  14th	YES Prep Southeast Secondary

   

• 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM: Senior & Family Celebration on Bell Street. The Toyota Center will be shutting down all traffic on Bell Street following Senior Signing Day.  Seniors will proceed outside and connect with their families and friends on Bell Street as they celebrate Senior Signing Day.  After reconnecting with their family and taking photos, families are encouraged to depart from the Tundra Garage.

Given the length of the program, Seniors are encouraged to eat before arriving at 8:00 AM. YES Prep will provide a sack lunch to seniors during the program; however, we encourage seniors to eat a full meal before arriving.

Upon arrival, YES Prep Students will enter through the Bell Street Entrance. All students will pass through security upon entering the building.  No bags are allowed except for medical reasons. 

Students are asked to bring only their Declaration Item to allow easy access into the building. We have 1,600 other seniors entering the venue, so following these instructions will enable everyone to enter smoothly. Your declaration items cannot include any of the prohibited items on the Toyota Center’s prohibited item list, including video recorders, audio recorders, laser pointers, backpacks, coolers, knives, weapons of any type, baby seats or carriers, noisemakers, glitter, confetti, streamers, helium balloons, or inflatables.

All those participating in Senior Signing Day will be asked to complete a permission slip for Senior Signing Day. Permission slips for 12th graders will go live for guardians to complete starting April 18th.   These forms can be accessed through Skyward Family Access.  Look for communication in Family Notes about how to access the permission slip.

All permission slips will be electronic this year and must be completed for a student to attend Senior Signing Day.

Seniors, please bring the College Declaration Item that you will use to announce/display your college choice with you to the Houston Toyota Center. College items could include shirts, pennants, flags, signs, hats, or a college mailer (pictures below). We have even had an umbrella! Please remember that the item should be sturdy.

Senior Signing Day Attire

Please arrive at the Toyota Center appropriately dressed in your event clothes.  The expected dress code for Senior Signing Day for Seniors is Business Professional Attire. Below are some examples of what is Business Professional Dress:

A Note on Footwear

Seniors will be walking up and down stairs and on the court of the Toyota Center. You will also be walking in service corridors or other areas with uneven services. If you choose to wear heeled shoes:

• Heels should be 3 inches or shorter.
• More stable heels like Cone, Wedge, Block, or Flared heels are recommended.
• Stiletto or high point heels are NOT appropriate.

Footwear guidance is to avoid personal injury or damage to the venue.

• Complete the Permission Slip: Seniors, have your parents complete the permission slip for the Senior Signing Day Program on Skyward Family Access (NBHS on Microsoft Forms).
• Request time off work: Families, you should request time off work to ensure you can attend. The event will start at 10:45 AM and run until 1:45 PM. Families could expect the total time at event to be from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
• Create a Transportation Plan: Each senior and their family will only receive one (1) parking pass.  Seniors, talk with your parents about your transportation plan. Determine if:
  • Your family wants to arrive together at 8:00 AM and attend the Family Gathering, or
  • If you are going to be dropped off at 8:00 AM or arrive separately.
• Make Your Decision: You have begun to receive offers of admissions and are starting to plan for next fall.  In April/May, meet with your College Counselor and your family as you decide what you will declare during Senior Signing Day. If you still have questions, attend an Admitted Student Program to ask your questions. You can sign up for admitted student programs on the college’s websites.  
• Secure your Declaration Item: Please make sure you begin to think about the item you will use to display your plan for the fall choice at the event (for example, University Pennant, Army Flag).
• Choose Your Outfit: Photos from Senior Signing Day will be some of your favorite photos from your time at YES Prep. Please go ahead and start thinking about your outfit.  Information about appropriate dress for Senior Signing Day is Below.

• 8:00 AM: Doors open for Guests. Guests can enter the building through the La Branch Street Entrance at the corner of La Branch and Polk St.
• 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Class of 2022 Family Gathering – Seating will not be open until 10:00 AM.  If families arrive at the same time as their seniors at 8:00 AM, they can join us for a Family Gathering.  The Family Gathering will include a light continental breakfast, including small grab-and-go refreshments like fruit.  The family gathering will be hosted in the West Club. The West Club is immediately inside when entering from La Branch St. Families can interact with each other and our Alumni Transition Specialist team at the family gathering.
• 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM: All Doors Open. Seating Opens for Families and Guests. Guests who arrive after 10:00 AM can enter from any entrance at Bell Street, La Branch, or Jackson Street. House seating opens.  Our campus is seated in sections

• Brays Oaks	Section 124: Rows 9-19 Section 125: Rows 4-19
  East End	Section 102: Rows 4-18 Section 103: Rows 9-18
  Eisenhower High	Section 107: Rows 1-18
  Fifth Ward	Section 109: Rows 1-17; Section 110: Rows 3-17; Section 111: Rows 9-17
  Gulfton	Section 126: Rows 4-26
  North Central	Section 115: Rows 4-27
  North Forest	Section 104: Rows 3-13 Section 105: Rows 1-13 Section 106: Rows 1-13
  Northbrook High	Section 113: Rows 4-31
  Northside	Section 116: Rows 9-20 Section 117: Rows 3-20
  Southeast	Section 112: Rows 4-26
  Southside	Section 101: Rows 4-21
  Southwest	Section 119: Rows 1-14; Section 120: Rows 1-14
  West	Section 121: Rows 1-12 Section 122: rows 2-13
  White Oak	Section 108: Rows 1-16

   

• 10:15 AM - 10:45 AM: Pre-Show

• 10:45 AM - 1:45 PM: Senior Signing Day

• 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM: Senior & Family Celebration on Bell Street. The Toyota Center will be shutting down all traffic on Bell Street following Senior Signing Day. At the end of the event, Families should proceed outside and connect with their Senior on Bell Street. Families are encouraged to depart from the Tundra Garage after reconnecting with the child and taking photos.

Guests using mobility devices can be seated in ADA-appropriate seating upon request. Due to the limits on ADA-appropriate seating in each section, guests using mobility devices may be sitting in a different area than their campus's assigned section.  At the La Branch St. Entrance, guest concierge services will help all guests who need ADA accommodated seating find appropriate seating for the program.

For more information on accessibility at the Toyota Center, visit:

https://www.toyotacenter.com/plan-your-visit/accessibility

Guests are allowed a bag. Bags must not exceed 5.5 X 8.5 inches.  Security will check all bags upon entering the Toyota Center. There is a strict “no bag policy” for all other bags. Guest bag lockers will be available on a rental basis for guests at the La Branche Street Entrance.  These lockers cost $15, paid for by the guests.

For safety reasons, patrons may be refused entry if they are in possession of prohibited items including, but not limited to: alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, food, drinks, glass/plastic/metal containers, video recorders, audio recorders, laptops, fireworks, laser pointers, backpacks, coolers, knives, weapons of any type, baby seats or carriers, unauthorized noisemakers, glitter, confetti, streamers, helium balloons, basketballs, beach balls, parcels or packages, inflatables, personal motorized transporters (SkyWalkers), GoPros, selfie sticks, or large bags of any kind.

Seniors with younger siblings in 8th – 11th grade will attend Senior Signing Day along with their classmates.

On their permission slip, parents can notify their school if they want the younger sibling to:

1. Ride a bus back to campus at the end of Senior Signing Day, or
2. Depart with their family from the Toyota Center.

For families with seniors with younger siblings in Elementary School or the 6^th and 7^th grade, these siblings can attend Senior Signing Day as one of the Senior’s ticketed guests. All families are asked to attend the entirety of Senior Signing Day, not just their campus’s declarations to not disturb the program.

Following the program, families will be able to check your students out from the Corona Beach Lounge on the northside of the Toyota Center across from sections 113-114, next to the Rocket Shop.  Families will be able to begin checking out the younger siblings at the end of the program at 1:45 PM.  They will then exit the building out onto Polk Street and proceed around the building on Jackson Street or La Branch Street to meet their Senior on Bell Street.