Miller Middle School staff excited for year ahead

Heather Cory

Judy Alewel kisses her daughter, Katie, goodbye before she begins her first day of sixth grade at Bob Miller Middle School.

By Frances Vanderploeg (contact)

Monday, Aug. 25, 2008 | 3:15 p.m.

Heather Cory

Max Larnerd takes notes on the first day of classes at Bob Miller Middle School. Larnerd starts his sixth-grade career as the son of the principal.

Max Larnerd, a sixth grader at Bob Miller Middle School, is preparing for what he expects may be a bit of a balancing act this school year.

Like most of his peers, the 10-year-old knows he will have to get used to being one of the younger students on campus. Along with that, however, he has a challenge unique to only him at Miller: He’s the son of the school’s principal, Tam Larnerd.

He was one of about 1,700 students who returned to Miller Aug. 25, the first day for Clark County public schools.

When it comes to the other students’ reactions, Max said he was expecting a mixed bag. He figures fellow sixth graders may ask him for help getting to the eighth grade hall without getting bullied, he said, but he fully expects there will be other students — mostly eighth graders — who may give him a hard time because they don’t like the principal.

“I worry about the kids that are not big fans of my dad,” he said.

A bonus, Max said, is that he’s already familiar with the school and most of his teachers, which has made his transition smoother.

He’s excited to be able to share the school year with his father and see him more often, but he hopes there will be times where dad refrains from being dad, Max said.

“Every once in a while it would be nice if, on field trips, he doesn’t say, ‘Max, put on your sunscreen’ or things like that,” he said.

As for Tam Larnerd, he is thrilled he’ll have the extra time to spend with his son, but said he wants to make sure Max has some preteen freedom during his middle school experience.

Back to school isn’t just for the students. Erick Ekker is beginning his 15th year of teaching, and he still looks forward to the first day of school as much as he always has.

“I woke up at 2:30 this morning,” he said. “It’s always so exciting.”

Ekker spent a lot of time traveling in both South America and Europe during the summer, doing research for his classes. He teaches Spanish and French and tries to make the classes about more than just the language. He includes information about the culture and includes activities such as cooking throughout the year. Though the traveling is for pleasure, he also enjoys the opportunity to increase his knowledge about various countries.

Having the opportunity to get more involved in the culture makes it more interesting for his students, he said.

For some subjects, it’s hard to pique that interest.

Seventh graders Emily Myers and Madison Thompson, both 12, said that is how they feel when it comes to math. They were glad, however, to return to Miller after a long summer and have something to do and time to see friends.

“I like to get back to school because it’s so boring over the summer,” Madison said.

The only thing the girls weren’t looking forward to was math.

“I think that side of my brain has died,” Emily said.

Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or frances.vanderploeg@hbcpub.com.