Fear, fun characterize first day of school

By Jenny Davis

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | midnight

Walking to Ernest Becker Sr. Middle School together, a pair of siblings had a different perspective of what the first day of school would be like.

"I'm scared," said Trysten Wright, who started sixth grade.

Wright moved on from William R. Lummis Elementary School, which had an enrollment of about 600, to the middle school, which has about 1,350 students.

"I am afraid I won't know where anything is," he said.

His older sister, Katie, who entered seventh grade, said her nerves were calm and the only emotion she felt was excitement.

"I don't feel afraid anymore, I got use to the school last year," she said. "I'm just excited about seeing all my friends again."

The first day of school, Aug. 25, went smoothly at Becker, said Amy Smith, the new principal this year. Smith was previously the assistant principal at the school for five years.

When the bell rang for the first period, students were in their classrooms and the office was calm. Sending an instruction sheet to parents about the first day two weeks before school started eased the confusion, Smith said.

Dropping their daughter Kari off at Becker, Lynn and John Sanderson said they wanted to be there for her as she entered the eighth grade.

"We wanted to say 'hi' to the teachers," John said. "We wanted to let them know they do a great job. They were standing outside waiting for the students. This day has gone by smoothly, and Kari is so excited to go back to school."

Smith said she intends on keeping the tradition of excellence alive at the school by continuing to invite parents to stay involved in their children's education and to continue to volunteer at the school.

"When parents volunteer, the students know that the parents value education, they know it matters," Smith said.

At Cimarron-Memorial High School, students jammed the hallways and laughed and hugged as they reunited after the three-month summer.

"It kind of stinks to be back at school, but it's cool to be around my friends again," said Kristy Hansen, a junior.

With 2,946 students, Cimarron-Memorial was crowded, but Ben Schultz, student body president, said he hopes the school will feel united this year with school spirit.

"This year is going to be a blast," he said. "My goal is to get school spirit into everyone and make sure that everyone has a great high school experience."

To help make the freshmen feel they won't be lost in the crowd, Cimarron-Memorial started a freshman academy this year after a successful pilot program last year, said Principal Karen Stanley.

The academy allows all the nearly 800 freshman to have their core classes, including math, science, English and careers, in the same hall with the same teachers.

"When you talk to freshman, their nerves and anxiety level is all the way up because the school is so large," Stanley said. "We're hoping that by putting them in one area for classes, they'll be able to get to class on time, won't have to stress about being tardy and will see their teachers constantly."

Clark County School District Superintendent Walt Rulffes, who toured the school the first day of class, said the freshman academy is a move in the right direction because it simulates the small-school theory.

That theory says students feel more included in-less populated settings by being directly engaged with teachers and staff.

"We lose a lot of freshman," Rulffes said. "This is a way to address that transition."

It wasn't just the first day of school at Cimarron-Memorial for students, but for teachers as well. Judith Miligan, a mentor for the new teacher mentor program at the school, said she had been working with five new teachers during the summer so that when the first day of school came, the new teachers felt ready.

"I help get them up to speed," Miligan said. "It's nice to have someone to lean on."

Miligan helped new teachers coming from out of town with their moves and helped orient them about where things are in the city and how the school functions.

Jenny Davis is a reporter for the Home News. She can be reached at 990-8921 or [email protected].