Bell rings on another school year
Parents and students lined up outside of Tropic Isles Elementary School Monday morning, waiting in anticipation for the beginning of another school year.
Cars snaked their way through the parking lot to drop off students, while the principal and teachers greeted their nearly 900 students following another long, hot summer.
School began Monday throughout Lee County for some 90,000 students, and to make sure things were running smoothly, Superintendent of Schools Nancy Graham visited North Fort Myers, greeting everyone.
Graham said everything went smoothly at the schools she visited, especially for the kindergarteners, who were already doing work and, if they were nervous, they didn’t show it.
“I’ve been doing the first day of schools for decades, and it’s always a great day, especially in elementary schools because it’s almost more nerve wracking for the parents,” Graham said. “It’s exciting they’re that engaged in their children having a good education.”
Graham made her way to numerous schools throughout the day, and said the number of kids going to school has been a challenge.
“Growth is our biggest challenge because with it comes a lot of responsibilities as far as capacity,” Graham said. “We also want to make sure our kids are challenged academically and those who struggle get the help the need.”
Principal Brandy Macchia expressed her joy that her school was in top-notch shape and that another year was upon us.
“We’re excited for all the kids are going to learn this year and everyone is eager. We’ve worked all summer getting ready for them,” Macchia said. “Summer is a time to refresh and an opportunity to get going again.”
For the teachers, there was little time to relax with training, workshops and school programs, according to resource teacher Janet Stovall, but the first day made it all worth it.
“We’re looking forward to another good year. We made some great learning gains last year and we’re ready to address even more,” Stovall said. “We had two new curriculums last year and we’re going to make big improvements.”
Despite what you might think, the students themselves were also excited for a new year with the opportunity to learn new stuff and reuniting with friends they hadn’t seen since the last school year ended.
“I’m super-excited to be back because summer was really slow except for when we went to Disney World,” said Zoe Pullmann, a fourth-grader whose mother teaches at the school. “I love this school. I wish I could stay, but I can’t.”
“I’m excited because I’m happy to see all my old friends and maybe meet new ones,” said third-grader Braden Engvalson. “My favorite subject is math because I’m really good at it.”
“I love being back because I can’t wait to learn the new subjects,” said Sydney Wheeler, whose mother is an assistant. “My mom thinks education is important.”
As for parents such as Danielle Amidon, whose daughter attends Tropic Isles, she said things went as well as expected.
“As long as you go to orientation, you should know where you’re going. We had a great summer, but my daughter is real happy to come back. She loves her teachers.”