First day is smooth sailing at C.T. Sewell Elementary

Published Monday, Aug. 25, 2008 | 4:53 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008 | 3:54 p.m.

Clark County School District

As students crowded the lunchroom at C.T. Sewell Elementary School Monday, friends reconnected, and memories of summer vacations began to fade.

The transition to a new routine went smoothly for the returning students, and Principal Carrie Larson said the kindergartners did better than expected.

“We didn’t have any criers until lunch,” she said. The full-day schedule of kindergarten at Sewell caught some of them off guard.

The tears came only after students discovered lunchtime meant they were not yet going home, Larson said.

Helping matters was the school’s open house held the Friday before classes began, where students met teachers and located their classrooms.

“That took a lot of the stress off,” Assistant Principal Jennifer Furman-Born said.

Following recess and over pizza, first grader Allen Ramos found a long-lost friend.

“I was looking for her,” Ramos said. “I was trying to find her.”

He shared with her the three weeks he spent in the Philippines visiting family. He had read books over summer, but was glad to be back at school. Both friends had done coloring before lunch.

“I like it,” Ramos said of his school. “I like the work, the desks, the lunchroom.”

Those sentiments were shared by second grader Charleston Acol.

“This school is fun and helps us learn a lot of things,” he said.

Acol traveled to Utah, where he said he found some snow to play in.

During lunch, teachers dealt with messy students who struggled to eat frozen orange Popsicles. Larson complimented a student’s new hair style and passed out hugs.

“We’re excited about the first day of school,” she said. “My favorite part is just having the kids back.”

Dave Clark is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-2677 or dave.clark@hbcpub.com.

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question