The first day of school for students at Mt. Comfort Elementary School. The Mt. Vernon Community School District started classes for all levels Friday, August 4, 2023.
MT. COMFORT — New school year, new students, new principal — and on a Friday.
What looked like a never-ending line of car riders went fairly smoothly on the first day at Mt. Comfort Elementary. A few teachers waved cars down the line to a stop, allowing parents to say their quick goodbyes, some watching and recording their little ones walking into school for the first time.
Elizabeth Jenkins, the art teacher at Mt. Comfort Elementary, helped direct traffic and get kids out of the cars quickly and safely.
“How exciting,” Jenkins exclaimed when she found out one little girl is a new kindergartener this year.
Superintendent Dr. Jack Parker joined the teachers and chatted while waiting at the front doors, greeting kids as they piled out of the cars.
Dr. Parker shared that first days are always just a little bit slower with the drop-off process. This year at Mt. Comfort Elementary, there were 705 students enrolled, with the other two elementaries not too far off — Fortville with 714 students and McCordsville with 690 students.
Dr. Parker has been the superintendent of Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation for four-and-a-half years now and said some changes he’s noticed have been procedures that were implemented during COVID, which are still used today, being very effective.
One topic Dr. Parker said they are digging into more is how teachers and students interact, understanding the importance of relationships.
“I think a lot of things in the landscape of education have caused us to think of some things differently, but when it’s all said and done, it’s what happens in the classroom between the teacher and the students,” Dr. Parker said.
“That in itself has not changed much. That relationship, that collaborative work, the celebrations — that is still strong and, quite frankly, I expect that to be the most important thing for many years to come.”
Along with the new school year, students got to meet their new principal, Donald (Donnie) Turner, who also stood out front welcoming students back. While this is his first year at Mt. Comfort Elementary, Turner has seven years of administration experience.
Teachers in the building have been back to work since this past Monday, busy with training, meetings and setting up their classrooms, which includes personalizing seating charts, cubbies and more for the students.
One parent, Luke Boston, walked with his fifth-grade twin daughters on their last first day of elementary school. Boston shared that the back-to-school process has been great.
“We really enjoyed the extra week of summer this year,” Boston said. “The only thing that has changed for us is the girls have a little more input on what they’d like to wear.”
Boston shared they are very excited about the girls getting ready to move on to middle school, and that this will be the last year they’ll have children at Mt. Comfort Elementary, ending 14 consecutive years.
Boston has had four children enrolled in Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation, their youngests in fifth grade, a freshman son and their oldest — now a sophomore in college.
“This school’s been very consistent with veteran staff and they are some of the same teachers that were here when she (the oldest daughter) was here,” Boston said. “Our principal is different but consistency, and excellence has been consistent.”
After approximately 25 minutes, the car-rider line came to an end, buses pulled out of the back parking lot and most students were now in the building and heading to their classes.
“Have a great day,” Jenkins told an older student as he walked toward the front doors after she helped him out of the car.
“I will,” he said, not missing a step.
“I know you will.”
