Monday marked the first day of school for York County students. This is how it went.
Monday marked the first day of school for students across York County. Students reconnected with friends, met their new teachers, and for some, settled into new schools.
While the pandemic continues, York County school districts will have a more routine year -- the state allows only 5% of students to go to school online per district.
This is how the day went in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, York and Clover.
Rock Hill
The first day of school for Rock Hill Schools saw the return of 5,000 students who had studied online last year.
As she sat outside Northwestern High School, the sixth school she visited that day, Public Information Officer Lindsay Machak summed up her morning: “We’re happy over here.”
“Every elementary school or Pre-K center, they made a very thoughtful effort to be extra welcoming this morning,” she said.
Music played outside the schools and students danced and blew bubbles -- making a party out of what was many students’ first-ever day going to school.
Teachers at all of the schools greeted students as they hopped out of cars.
And Superintendent Dr. Bill Cook was out visiting schools and welcoming students back. He plans to visit every school by the end of Tuesday.
Parents seemed comfortable sending their kids to school in Rock Hill, despite the ongoing pandemic, Machak said.
“The feedback has been great, people are comfortable coming on campus, no one has said to me that they’re uncomfortable,” she said. “I think that parents have really worked with their kids over the past 18 months... Kids know what the precautions are.”
Kimberly Massey’s children are going into their senior and freshman years at Northwestern High School. “I am confident in our district’s plan to deal with (COVID-19),” she said. “I guess I do wish that masks were mandated. I know as a state we cannot mandate masks.”
But Massey said she was encouraged to see a large number of students wearing masks. Both of her children are vaccinated, but they will also wear masks.
Sending her kids off for their last year going to school together, Massey said happiness overshadowed her worry.
“I hope that we can remain face-to-face,” Massey said. “We want to have graduation and prom, and all those big memorable events.”
Fort Mill
Monday morning marked the opening day for Forest Creek Middle School.
Davis Hallman, 11, was entering sixth grade. “I’m feeling kind of nervous and kind of excited. More than half of my class last year is going here to this school. I think it’s pretty nice, cause it’s really big.”
Yatorah Adams, 12, is entering seventh grade. He says he’s looking forward to school and his favorite subjects, math and reading.
Maddie Grigg, 13, and in eighth grade said “This is my first year at a new school. I just moved here from Georgia. I’m a little nervous, but I’m excited. I’m most looking forward to the library, cause I like reading a lot.”
At the Fort Mill School District’s newest school, students hopped off their buses with a skip in their step, giggling, some walking backwards to talk to friends. As parents dropped off their children, teachers greeted them.
While the district is still practicing precautions, and about a third of students wore masks, the pressure of the pandemic seemed, for a little while, to be replaced with the anticipation of the first day of school.
“We’re excited to have everybody back because of the new things that are happening in the district, including this new middle school,” Joe Burke, public information officer for the district said. “Anytime you open a new school, it’s an exciting time in a school district. It’s a chance to create a new culture, new traditions.”
Other than a couple of late buses, the day went smoothly for the district overall, Burke said.
Going into the school year, the district feels confident that it can contain spread of coronavirus in its schools. “We’re cautiously optimistic,” Burke said.
Clover
For Clover School District, there were a few unexpected roadblocks leading up to the first day of school, Bryan Dillon, spokesperson for the district said. But the morning still had a “great atmosphere with smiling faces,” he said.
Storms over the weekend knocked out power at some of the schools, but the power has been restored. Air conditioning is still out at Oak Ridge Middle School -- but it should be fixed by the end of the day.
Music played as parents came through the drop-off line, easing students’ nerves as they came into school.
There were wait times in the car line, and bus routes still need to be worked out, Dillon said. But he said the district will fall into a routine in the next few weeks. For now, he just asks that parents be patient.
Big changes are coming to the district this week. The district saw its biggest jump in enrollment to date this year, Dillon said, growing by about 700 students.
York
Schools in the York School District welcomed their students in colorful ways.
York Comprehensive High with a DJ and a balloon arch photo-station, the elementary school with balloons and bubbles.
“The mood across our schools today was one of excitement,” said Tim Cooper, the district’s public information officer. “Our teachers and staff worked hard to prepare for the first day of school, and our students were excited to be back with their teachers and make new friends.”
The district had some problems with buses, which it has already addressed, Cooper said. The district continues to look to hire more bus drivers.
There are a few things parents should know this year, Cooper said.
They should watch for direct communication from their child’s school via phone calls, texts and emails. They also should pay close attention to any information received from teachers this week as well as stay connected to their child’s online portal accounts for updates on class activities and transportation.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 2:33 PM.
