By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisbuypost.com
More than 25,000 area students are heading back to class this morning. A Post reporter recently asked students, parents, teachers and administrators to recount a memorable first day of school.
Some spoke of tears; others remember a feeling of sheer joy. For many it was a mixture of both nervous energy and excitement.
Read what they had to say:
“My mom said she was scared for me to go, but she told me that when I got out of the car and she said, ‘Are you sure?’ and I said, ‘Heck, yeah’ and ran. She cried but I didn’t. I wanted to go, I was ready.”
— Salisbury High School senior Zack Brincefield on his first day of prekindergarten
“I cried from fear of separation from my mom and she had to spend most of the day with me until I was comfortable enough to spend the rest of the day alone, but I made it and it was a great experience.”
— Nykia Ford, mother of Isenberg Elementary first-grader Kymello McLane, on her first day of kindergarten at Isenberg
“I was shy to talk to people, but I ended up making a lot of new friends.”
— Kameon Alford, a fifth-grader a Isenberg, on his first day at the school after transferring from Hanford-Dole Elementary
“My first day of freshman year I went and I sat in the wrong class for 20 minutes before (the teacher) called roll and she was like ‘Oh, you’re not in my class,’ so she had to take me to my class. I was extremely embarrassed and the whole class laughed at me so it was kind of awful, but I found my class the next day.”
— Salisbury High senior Traci Leak on her first day of freshman year
“I got up early, way before it was time. I was excited about putting on my new school clothes and being at the bus stop with all my neighborhood friends. (I remember) mom getting up and making a big breakfast … there were seven of us so she made a huge breakfast and it was like the best breakfast. You know that’s one of the main important meals, so it had us going.”
— Nerissa Sanders, mother of three Isenberg students, on her first day of kindergarten
“I had a pretty interesting first day, my mom left right away so it was kind of just getting everything together, being on my own for the very first time but it worked out well.”
— Kaleef Payne, fifth-grade teacher assistant at Isenberg, on his first day at Livingstone College
“It was laid back and we really just had fun, so it felt like we were at home.”
— Bryanna Troutman, sixth-grader at Knox Middle, on her first day of kindergarten
“My first day as an assistant principal at Hanford-Dole Elementary, I can remember that like it was yesterday. I was terrified. I was once a P.E. teacher and I tried to make that transition to an assistant principal. It was rough, kids were still coming to me calling me coach. It was kind of hard, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I like challenges.”
— Isenberg Principal Marvin Moore on his first day as an assistant principal at Hanford-Dole
“I remember the first day of school I was both excited and scared. I was ready to learn and just looking forward to all the new things that were about to happen.”
— Stormie Starks, media assistant at Salisbury High, on her first day in kindergarten
“My grandmother brought me because my mother had to work and I was screaming. In our schools they have a front door and they have a back door and I took off. I disappeared; nobody could find me. The school called my nana and my mom and everything, and I went to a friend’s house. Oh, it was a mess.”
— Mary George, grandmother of four Isenberg students, on her first day of kindergarten in Scotland
“I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it was really great. I remember the SGA kids coming to my office introducing themselves and welcoming me to the South Rowan family, and that really meant a great deal to me. Once I accepted my role in that South Rowan family, my job became much easier.”
— Assistant Principal Barry West on his first day at South Rowan High
“I ran down the hall. When I came back to class my teacher made me stand in the corner. I cried and cried and cried, and for the rest of my life in school I never, ever got in trouble.”
— Teresa Jones, a fourth-grade teacher assistant at Isenberg, on her first day of first grade
“I came from a middle school where three other kids that I knew came to Salisbury, so coming here I had to make all new friends because I didn’t know anybody. I was thinking ‘Am I going to have friends? Are people going to like me?’ So it was nerve-racking, I guess.”
— Salisbury High senior Katie Smith on her first day of freshman year
“I was a member of the band, and at that time Livingstone had one of the best marching bands in the nation. The practice sessions were a future shock to me. We had five sessions a day. We were out in the hot sun. It prepared us for the season. We had those heavy uniforms on and we had to be used to the heat. We were up at 5:45 in the morning. My first week there I smelled like a buzzard because all we did was wear blue shorts, white T-shirts with cub written across them, our instruments and combat boots. I remember that and it prepared me for the rest of my life.”
— Donald Moore Sr, Parent-Teacher Association president, on his first day at Livingstone College
“My first day of kindergarten I was very excited to go. I’m an only child so I was away from mom and dad. I made a lot of new friends and I was happy to be going.”
— Ashley Hubbard, first-grade teacher at Isenberg, on her first day of kindergarten
“I was totally scared. Kids were coming in all directions. You had freshmen that didn’t know about high school, but the one good thing about it was that after I took a deep breath and just relaxed, it all became a smooth transition. I had first -day jitters and also right now I have butterflies in my stomach with the first day of school starting. I’m excited, but at the same time, I’m also weary because it’s another school year that’s gone by too fast and the summer is over.”
— Salisbury High Assistant Principal Chris McNeil on his first day working at the school
“I was a nervous wreck because I was moved to fifth grade, and my experience was in second grade. I just remember seeing those big bulletin boards I had to cover and just tackling a new curriculum. But I was still excited to have my own classroom and see how excited my students were to learn. It was an exciting yet a nervous time for me.”
— Alexis Jennings, fifth- grade teacher at Isenberg, on her first day teaching