SYLACAUGA — The first day of school kicked off Wednesday for Sylacauga City Schools, and officials reported the day went well.“The first day of school was fabulous,” said Wanda Freels, principal of Indian Valley Elementary School. “We had a lot of smiling faces and a lot of children were eager to learn. They were just happy to be back.”
Dan Deese, principal at Pinecrest Elementary School, said the first day was a good start for the school year.
“It went just fine,” he said. “We had a smooth opening. Many parents walked their children in, as they usually do. We had our parent orientation before school started on Aug. 4 and 5, so that took care of a lot of parents.”
Deese and Superintendent Dr. Jane Cobia reported minor traffic congestion problems due to Alabama Department of Transportation’s traffic improvement project on U.S. 280 in front of Pinecrest Elementary School.
“We know there was some congestion, but people were very patient,” Cobia said. “It was very organized, and it was always a continuous flow. We believe all the preplanning has paid off – meeting with the police department to come up with traffic plans and sending letters to parents.”
For Nichols Lawson Middle School, principal Gerald Douglass said staff started the day with an assembly celebrating the students’ accomplishments and hard work.
“They did very well last year,” he said. “They really applied themselves by being focused and committed to excellence. The assembly we had makes all the difference. We gave them a set of challenges, and I believe they will meet them. Our students take pride in our school.”
Douglass said the only concern they usually have the first few days of school is sixth graders being able to get into their lockers.
“We sent locks to the elementary school a few months ago for students to practice using them,” he said. “It’s going to take them some time to get use to it.”
Tommy Porch, principal of Sylacauga High School, said the first day of school went smoothly.
“The students entered the building in record time,” he said. “We held an assembly to discuss some housekeeping with students. Then the students went back to class. It was just like a regular day.”
Cobia said 2,348 students attended school the first day, and she expects more kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students to join classes by the end of the week.
She also said the breakfast and lunch programs went well.
“That was thanks to Kelley Wassermann (Child Nutrition Program director for Sylacauga City Schools) getting information rolled over from the summer,” she said. “The high school had more than 450 out of 654 students to eat regular meals. We were really pleased that lunch started right on schedule.”
Cobia said the faculty and staff did a good job preparing for the first day of school and making it a success.
“The attitude of the teachers was amazing,” she said. “They were enthusiastic and prepared. All of the classrooms were ready before students got to the rooms. The elementary teachers gave calls to the parents a week or so ago to introduce themselves and say your child is in my class. The parents said that made them feel more comfortable. We were within our time frame with the buses. Our buses have water on them and eight out of 16 of them have air conditioning. The students I talked to all said they were glad to be back. They were ready to read. They were happy to see their friends, and they like their teachers. Overall, we’ve been very pleased with the comments from the parents and community. It’s always nice when you’re off to a good start.”
