Some students were nervous for their first day at Aubrey ISD on Wednesday, while others were ready to get the day started.
At Monaco Elementary School, Everett McDonald was one of the ones ready to go.
It was his first day of kindergarten, and he was beaming with glee as he walked toward the elementary school with his parents and little brother.
When he was asked if he was ready for his first day of school, he said, “Yes,” with a big smile.
His mom, however, not so much. “Tough,” Mary McDonald said, describing the first day of school. “Keeping the tears at bay until I can't anymore.”
The first day of school is filled with many firsts and lasts, and that’s why Superintendent Dr. Shannon Saylor enjoys it.
“It's my favorite day of the year because everything is new,” Saylor said. “You can start over; kids start over, and it's just a whole new school. … To celebrate those kids entering fifth with their last [year in] elementary, entering eighth [grade], going to high school next year, and then the seniors—it’s everybody's first something or last something, so it's really special. I mean, we get the honor of taking on people's most prized possession, their children.”
Friendly staff welcomed faces into Monaco Elementary, ready to guide students to where they needed to go.
Monaco Elementary Principal Brett Dobbs greeted the kids with fist bumps, high fives and photo ops.
“More parents actually came in the building than actually dropped off, so we've had a building full,” Dobbs said. “They've all dropped off now; the kids are in class. It's going along with their schedules, learning routines and procedures, and everyone's excited. Our building has been refreshed. It looks amazing, and everybody's just been talking about the building and how good it really looks.”
At Owens Middle School, some students reunited and caught up with friends.
“The very first day, it's been just a little bit hectic, but very exciting,” Principal Pamela Foster said. “I think the most excited group is our sixth graders. They got their schedules; they got seated. They were ready to go to class. So just our numbers exploded this year. We were expecting around 600. We're currently trying to schedule about 660 students.”
It was all hands on deck for staff to help the first day go smoothly for students, including the coaches such as Debra Renner who were directing students in the hall like they direct them on the court.
Principal Dr. Vanessa Zavar and her staff worked together to find creative ways to get the students on track for their first day throughout the Aubrey High School campus.
Students were able to find their first period class on a list in multiple places throughout the main hallway in case they were unsure where to start the school day.
'I just like to have a whole bunch of options for them,' she said.
At that point, Zavar said, the students received a paper copy of their schedule in their first class.
'We have specialized lessons for the first three days of school for every student, so that they're getting information about, 'How do I get a schedule? Who is my counselor? Who is my AP? How do I whatever?'' Zavar said.
She also described her excitement for the seniors getting to go to the elementary campuses for their last firstday and the kindergarteners' first first-day photos.
Students streamed into the building from two different areas: the parent drop-off line and the bus drop-off.
' Any kids who have any concerns about schedules, new families registering, anything like that is going to go into the library,' Zavar said.
Because student IDs are being required throughout the year, teacher Jimilee Rempe worked with a photography studio to take student photos and print the IDs in one setting.
Art teacher Jamie Alexander was on hand to help with the ID process.
She shared that she's excited for the start of the new year, including getting to work with students who know her because their friends have been in her art classes before.
'I'm also excited to be in my new classroom,' Alexander said.
She also expressed appreciation for the addition of another full-time art teacher, Jeannette Genuardi.
'There's just more options for advanced classes, more time slots, which is also really nice,' Alexander said.
On Wednesday, the district reported having around 4,800 students, with the estimate that that number would grow to more than 5,000 by Monday.
“We want everybody really to be the Chaparrals and we kind of take pride in being a destination school district that people want to go to because I believe that we do great things for kids and families,” Saylor said.
Saylor shared that growth could exceed 5,200 students across the district this year.
“Our buildings and our campus have life when kids come back,” said Dr. Kendra L. Pittman, assistant superintendent of leadership. “So, we prepare, and we work all summer long for this day, and when the kids show up, it reminds us of why we do what we do, and we just love it so much.”
Editor & Publisher Abigail Bardwell contributed to this report.
