Aubrey ISD students greeted their friends, faculty members, staff and administrators as they kicked off school Wednesday morning.
The district, which continues to grow as the communities within its boundaries add residents, saw a steady flow of new and fresh faces for Aubrey’s first day.
“The campuses I’ve been to, the principals have done a great job setting up routines and procedures,” Superintendent Dr. Shannon Saylor said.
She bounced around the district, from Monaco to get a picture with her daughter and Monaco second- grade teacher Kaia Saylor to West to the senior sunrise to Fuller, then Owens, then AHS, all before 9:30, with more campus visits planned for her day.
At Fuller Elementary, Principal Nathan Smith was on hand to greet his students.
“I’m starting year 5 here in the district, and I feel like we’ve kind of hit our groove,” he said. “We have got a lot of returning staff that are fantastic. I’ve got a great leadership team, and the kids know us. We’re kind of out of that new school phase.”
Madison Beach, who moved from Monaco Elementary to Fuller this year, is excited to have her kindergarten class start their school experi- ence.
“We do a lot of practicing routines and procedures,” she said. “It’s really important that the kindergarteners are excited to be here, so we try to do a lot of fun activities.”
Director of Student Services Jewelisha Jefferson also said she was enjoying acclimating to her new district, which was already positive before the kids returned.
“And now that I’m on campus and I get to see it with kids, it’s even more alive and more real,” she said. “… These people are here to make things better for students. They’re doing the work for students, and all the work that they’ve done this summer, I’m getting to see it in action, and it’s been a blessed experience.”
At Owens Middle School, the faculty and staff were ready to direct the students through the brand-new facility, including Assistant Principal Jessica Alexander, who waved with enthusiasm as the families navigated the drop-off line for the first time.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about our traffi c flow, and it was flawless, so I’m excited about that,” Principal Pamela Foster said. “Our buses dropped off in 10 minutes. Everyone got to where they were supposed to go, so I am very excited about our first steps of today.”
Eighth grade U.S. history teacher Jade Bobo was pumped to start the year off right.
“It’s really great to see all the kids,” she said. “They’re nervous, but their nervous energy is translating to excitement, and I think they’re seeing that the new campus is absolutely gorgeous and I’m just excited to be here.”
Aubrey High School, while technically an existing campus, has a brandnew look and feel thanks to the expansion project that, when completed, will nearly double the school’s capacity to 2,000.
The current student population is around 1,200 for that campus alone.
“The district’s theme this year is All In, and I know for a fact that all of my staff and the students are all in here at the high school, to make sure that everybody is successful [and] that all of my teachers are growing their students and growing themselves as professionals,” AHS Principal Dr. Vanessa Zavar said.
Faith Scanlan, who moved to Aubrey from Prosper her freshman year of high school, is excited for her senior year.
“It means growing up and it means just starting something new,” she said.
She has seen the school grow with her during her AHS career.
Scanlan, along with her fellow seniors, made their way to the elementary campuses to take pictures with the kindergarteners on their first day.
She made her way to Fuller Elementary, where she has family friends who attend that school.
“It’s a very good community,” she said. “Everyone’s very nice to each other.”
Allie Sanders, an Aubrey High alumna, was excited to return to her alma mater as the O-Z attendance secretary and to work in the same district as two of her biggest role models.
“It means so much to work here alongside my aunt and my mom in the district,” she said. “We believe in Aubrey and know this district cares about their students and staff. There is nowhere else we would rather be working.”
Final touches to the building were happening down to the wire, including the Chaparral red “AUBREY” on the front of the high school, which was on the building before dawn on Wednesday morning.
The interior changes give students more secure paths to navigate to get from class to class, as well, Saylor said.
She also marveled herself at the growth that is clear throughout Aubrey ISD.
“[There are] 200 girls in athletics,” she said. “I can remember the days when we had 30.”
