CHARLOTTESVILLE — With the harsh summer sun beating down on the last day of July, Eastern Hancock Community Schools welcomed students back to classes for the first day of school bright and early Wednesday morning.
While educators and administrators were excited to get another year rolling, it’s not always easy for students who long for another few weeks of summer break. District officials hosted student orientation and “meet your teacher night” for the elementary school students earlier this week.
Amanda Pyle, who is starting her 25th year in the district and 14th as the principal at Eastern Hancock Elementary, said she is always ready for a new school year to get going.
“It is full of so much promise,” Pyle said. “We had kindergarten open house Monday night, and the energy in the building was contagious. From the big smiles to students dancing in the hallway with excitement to new backpacks and new tennis shoes — it was amazing!”
As for the first day of school, she said that, for the most part, kids were excited to come back, get in a routine and be with their friends.
“There are definitely some tired kiddos for the first week or two of school, but that is to be expected,” Pyle said. “We don’t plan anything special like convocations because it can be very overwhelming to kindergarten and new students. We instead greet kids in the hallways with high fives, hugs and smiles. We want every student to know that they are welcomed and loved.”
Tuesday was a teacher work day, and the educators had a scavenger hunt around the campus, giving new teachers and staff an opportunity to learn their way around the building.
Superintendent George Philhower, whose district operates under four its core promises of joy, connection, growth and success, said it’s always a good day when district buildings are full of students, particularly on the first day of a new school year.
“If it were up to me, I’m ready to bring everyone back once we get past the Fourth of July week,” Philhower said with a laugh. “I start thinking about all the great things we have going here and all the great things we do here, so I love having kids in class.”
He, like Pyle, noted the first day of school is always fun, even if many students are a little slow getting back to speed.
“We started off today in really good shape,” Philhower said. “We’ve got kids in class and all of those kinds of things, so we’re happy.”
He set the week off by gathering his educators and staff to share goals for the new school year and wish them all a great 2024-25.
“We then let each building and department sort of do their own thing, but mostly we want to let the educators get as much time to prep for the first day because it does come fast, even quick every summer,” Philhower said.
Philhower said that while they won’t have official attendance figures for several weeks, they are anticipating about the same student enrollment numbers they had last year, if not a little higher due to growth in the county.
“I do feel like the percentage of transfers has to be up as our population is really steady, following the trend of growth,” Philhower said.
