AUBURN — Dressed in drag to show freshmen what not to wear to high school, Michael Hammond, 16, and Zachary Tannenbaum, 17, strutted down a pretend catwalk Wednesday in Edward Little High School’s gym.

Hammond wore a brunette wig and a short, tight leopard skirt.

Tannenbaum wore a blond wig, short, tight cutoffs and a tank top that showed his midriff. It would have shown cleavage, if he had cleavage.

As they pranced back and forth to freshmen laughter, announcers Kaelina Perron and Kory Norcross said skirts can’t be that tight or that short. Tops can’t show cleavage or midriff.

Several girls modeled boys gangster outfits, sporting shorts so low their underwear showed. Pants have to be higher, Perron and Norcross coached.

The fashion show skit was part of freshmen orientation, hosted by juniors and seniors, welcoming some 300 freshmen to high school.

Like a lot of high schools on the first day of school, Edward Little was open for freshmen only so they could get to know their new school. EL’s orientation included 100 juniors and seniors serving as mentors. Easily identified by orange mentor shirts, they spent the day with the freshmen telling them all about high school.

This was the seventh year EL’s upperclassmen welcomed freshmen, Assistant Principal Steve Galway said. The goal is to make freshmen comfortable, “to make this as much their school as it is the juniors and seniors.”

The day breaks down barriers for the freshmen, “who, as academically capable as they are, still have some concerns entering a high school with 1,000 students,” Galway said.

Research shows how the first two weeks of high school goes for freshmen can make a difference; a welcoming environment can prevent some from eventually dropping out, Galway said. “Some kids come physically, but have made their mind up, ‘I don’t feel like I fit in,’ or ‘No one cares about me.’”

The mentors represent 20 percent of the school’s juniors and seniors. That means the freshmen “have 100 big brothers and big sisters,” available to greet and be a resource for them, Galway said.

Each mentor is assigned to three or four freshmen they’ll check in on, meeting with them weekly through September, then monthly. A banner hung in the gym indicated that concern. It read “Welcome Class of 2016. Failure is not an option for MY freshman.”

After the fashion show there was a question-and-answer session.

Q: What happens if you go to school wearing unacceptable clothing? A: You’re sent home.

Q: What happens if you’re late? A: You could get a warning or detention.

Q: Where is my locker? A: We don’t use lockers, we carry books in our backpack.

Freshman Alan McBride, 15, said orientation was “really cool. We learned this dance, now we’re at a fashion show. They welcome you here and give you a lot of help.”

Arthur Aman-Omoa, 14, agreed. “It’s going to be easier to get into the school year. You’ll have a positive mind before you actually enter with the older kids” instead of “feeling you’re a lackey.”

Before Wednesday, Alexandra Rainey, 14, said she was worried about finding her classrooms, but Wednesday she was learning her way around. “You get to see all the people you’re going to have classes with. You get more comfortable.”

Tannebaum and Hammond said they volunteered to be mentors to give freshmen the same experience they had.

“I didn’t know where anything was,” Tannebaum recalled. “It helped acclimate me into the school.”

[email protected]