First day chock full of nervous excitement

Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Gallery (click any photo to view the gallery)
Those familiar yellow buses are one sure sign that school's back in session.

Those familiar yellow buses are one sure sign that school's back in session.

Those familiar yellow buses are one sure sign that school's back in session.Throngs of parents came along with their youngsters to Squires Elementary on the first day of class.Kenyon and his dad dropped off school supplies to share with the whole class, including glue sticks, tissues and markers.Ella, who has an older sister, was ready to color on her first day in first grade.Riley and his mom talked with the teacher a little bit when he first arrived.On his first day at Jessie Clark Middle School, Marquise asked Associate Principal Cecil Combs for help finding a classroom.Sixth-graders Meredith and Alex seemed pretty relaxed in their new surroundings.Lynn Orr, the gifted and talented teacher, guided sixth-graders on a quick tour of Jessie Clark Middle School. A first-year teacher and a first-year student at Lafayette High School headed upstairs to find a classroom.Jessica found a building map useful at Lafayette.The hallways at Lafayette have plenty of signs to point freshmen in the right direction.Samantha sat with fellow ninth-graders during the first lunch period. "It took awhile to get to sleep (last night)," she said. "I was anxious."Torin, who recently moved here from North Carolina, says he'll make new friends at Lafayette.Christa Dunn, a guidance counselor at Lafayette, helped lots of students sort out their schedules on the first day of school.

Eager first-graders at Squires Elementary, confident sixth-graders at Jessie Clark Middle and anxious freshmen at Lafayette High were among the roughly 36,000 students who returned to school in Fayette County today.

Principals, teachers and parents across the district reported a great first day. Other than routine issues like late buses or the newness of dismissal routines, everything was smooth. New backpacks, new shoes, new friends and big smiles were the order of the day.

8 a.m. at Squires Elementary

Cars lined the school entrance as parents walked with their youngsters through the front doors of Squires Elementary. In first-grade classrooms, teachers greeted students warmly and directed the kids where to store their lunchboxes.

Ella, who picked out a favorite pink T-shirt featuring Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” was happily coloring after her mother left.

“She was up and excited about her new outfit,” Shannon Pugh said, adding, “She was OK. Mommy needed to bring her to take pictures.”

The children sat at small tables in groups of five or six; each place was marked with a student’s name.

“I looked at their kindergarten (class) list so they’d know somebody at their table,” said first-grade teacher Shirla Ramey, who encouraged Riley to look for his spot as the students settled in. “Walking into a classroom on the first day is a little unnerving. Seeing a familiar face helps.”

Riley said he expected first grade might be even more fun than kindergarten. “We’ll have whole different projects to do,” he added.

Next door, Emma – the youngest of three in her family – wasn’t quite so confident. But knowing her teacher from last year was just around the corner did help.

“We saw her as we came in, so that made her feel more comfortable,” said Emma’s father, John Meholovitch, who said they’d tried to keep a positive, cheerful attitude all morning.

10 a.m. at Jessie Clark Middle School

Sixth-graders – divided into Navigator, Explorer and Voyager pods – eased into their first day at their new school with Eagle Time, a half-hour of welcomes, announcements and reminders. The day’s lunch menu, birthday list and notice of a volleyball meeting after school flashed across a screen down front.

“Everyone looks really nice today in dress code. Thank you very much,” teacher Vicki Aurelius said as she reviewed class schedules with her first group of students.

Each pod contains banks of lockers and classrooms for the core subjects. “These are the four teachers who’ll be their lifeline,” said Cecil Combs, associate principal.

Some kids seemed a little concerned about getting lost in the unfamiliar building. But teachers and signs were posted in the halls to help guide them.

“It’s a lot different than being at elementary school,” said Meredith Britt, who admitted she was pretty excited about Wednesday. “I tried to go to sleep, but I just couldn’t.”

Alex Brinkhorst was at ease despite the “really big change” from Picadome Elementary.

“My biggest expectation? The teachers are going to be nice, and I’ll learn about my classmates’ personalities,” Alex said. “Most of these are people I don’t know, but I’ll meet new friends.”

“I’m not worried,” he added. “I’m looking forward to having a great time.”

Noon at Lafayette High School

The most apprehensive group of students might have been the ninth-graders.

“It’s been a little nerve-wracking, but I’ve gotten to my classes OK,” said Jessica Owen, a freshman at Lafayette.

She ate lunch quickly so she could set out in search of her next classroom – up the stairs, down the hall, around the corner, and there it was!

For some kids, the newness of the day was even sharper. Torin Jones-Wells just arrived in Lexington from Wilmington, N.C., about a month ago.

“This is my first move,” he said after navigating the food line. “I’ll have to make some new friends.”

The cafeteria rumbled with students chattering and chairs scraping the floor; in the guidance office, the activity level was just as high.

Through schedule changes, new enrollments and other questions, counselor Christa Dunn and her colleagues were on hand to help.

“It’s a tricky process,” Dunn said. “By Friday we’ll probably be in good shape.”