Back to school

Sixth-graders at Faith Elementary raise their hands to answer a question asked by history teacher Kathy Griffin Aug. 6 during the first day of school on Fort Benning.
Ahhhhh…. can you smell it? The scent of freshly sharpened pencils, squeaky clean hallways and bologna sandwiches everywhere — yes, the first day of school has come to Fort Benning.
Teachers have been hard at work all day, explaining the rules and procedures, trying to match faces with names and giving kids a sneak preview of what their classes will be like. Students have been working hard, too, just settling in.
Faith Middle School
Thirteen-year-old Kayleen Petrovia summed up those first-day feelings well: “a flurry of emotions.”
“The first day of school is kind of nerve-wracking because everybody is getting used to their new schedules,” said the eighth-grader, who’s done the “back-to-school” bit 10 times before. “But it’s exciting, too. You get to meet new people. You have new classes. You kind of want summer to go on, but then again you want to go back to school to see all your friends and to learn more.”
Kayleen is looking ahead to high school — which teachers have been preparing her for since about fifth grade, she said — while her fellow Warrior Bear, sixth-grader Elijah Gardner, is just starting out at Faith Middle School.
“I think it’s pretty cool, really complicated though,” said the White Elementary graduate, who isn’t used to nearly as many class changes. “When I got to Faith, I was like, ‘Wow.’”
But what makes it worth it? “I get to say I’m in middle school now,” the 11-year-old said, not without pride.
Dexter Elementary School
Of course, military children can have plenty of first days at a new school outside of the month of August. Eight-year-old Michael Williams remembers first joining the Eagles at Dexter Elementary in September as a second-grader.
That’s all history, though. Now he’s excited for the start of fourth grade.
“It’s a big day,” he said. “When I go out to summer, I’m actually ready to go back to school because I can’t wait to go to the next grade.
“School’s fun for me because I’m always learning new things and I can build on those with my own ideas. Then I can ask someone that actually knows all this stuff … if my ideas are correct.”
And the hype isn’t just reserved for day number one. Michael thinks day two on Monday will be just as good.
“I’m looking forward to every day that we have in school,” he said.
Want to read the DDESS director’s back-to-school message, find out about extracurricular programs or other exciting news at one of the seven Fort Benning schools? Visit www.am.dodea.edu/benning.
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