A familiar feeling was in the air Tuesday as students returned to school to begin a new academic year.
School buses returned to the roads, and cars lined up at schools across the county early Tuesday morning as more than 12,000 public school students poured through the front doors of schools, found their classrooms and took their seats. Educators welcomed their pupils with smiles and open arms, and they got quickly to work when the first bells rang.
Private schools, including St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, Brunswick Christian Academy, Heritage Christian Academy, St. Simons Christian School and Frederica Academy, also began school this week.
At Goodyear Elementary, when the morning arrive-to-school rush calmed down, teachers began the day in a variety of ways.
In Linda Reece’s fourth-grade classroom, the day commenced with a meditation as she led her students through breathing techniques.
“We’re going to breathe in through our nose and out through our mouth,” she instructed. “Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out.”
A student volunteered to stand at the front of the class and illustrate the “hold the candle” technique. He held his hands clasped in front of him and breathed in and out.
“Guys, when you are feeling stressed out, these are things that you can do,” Reece said. “You can use these techniques and they will help you to calm down.”
Just down the hall, in Aazyah Howard’s fourth-grade classroom, the students were getting organized for the new year. A stack of folders sat on the desk in front of each child, and Howard explained how their folders will be color-coded.
A couple hallways away, Amanda Styn’s kindergarten class sat cross-legged on the rug, learning how to give a thumbs up, thumbs down or “quiet wave” (with one finger). Then they learned how to stand in line quietly for ventures outside their classroom.
“Remember, we tiptoe like we’re little mice because we need to be quiet,” Styn said, leading her class out into the hallway. “It’s like playing follow the leader.”
Goodyear Elementary is one of three schools with a new principal this school year. Alicia Flowers is the new principal of Goodyear.
Kim Watford will lead Satilla Marsh Elementary School, and Landon Nelson is the new principal at Risley Middle School.
Flowers, sitting down briefly at her desk Tuesday morning before rushing off to keep the first day running smoothly, said her focus this year is on school culture, academics and behavior.
“We’re focusing on our academics,” she said. “We’ve got new plans in place to improve our test scores, and the teachers are excited.”