First day back with a brand new look
Chemistry teacher Glen Mori talks Tuesday with Grade 12 students on the first day of class in the new open concept science lab at Medicine Hat High School.
Students all over the city were dusting off the cobwebs as they got set for another exciting school year ahead.
At St. Francis Xavier, students milled excitedly about the halls, speaking loudly with friends sharing all the summer news and trying to figure out all course requirements and routines for the year ahead.
“We usually hand out a lot of the information they are going to be needing for the year, and going through routines like agendas and timetables,” says Grade 6 teacher Kathleen Cross, who will be officially retiring after 36 years of teaching the end of this school year. “We go over different expectations in the class and expectations of what they will learn for the year.”
Cross says she always looks forward to seeing the kids return on the first day.
“It’s kind of exciting,” confirms Cross. “It’s all fresh starts and everyone is happy to see each other and come back. It’s sort of a neat thing to see how they have grown over the summer. They are a little bit sleepy in the morning because they are not using to getting up yet, but they are excited to see their friends. It’s kind of a burst of energy that’s neat to see.”
She admits the moment is bittersweet for her this year.
“It is kind of the last of the firsts,” Cross says. “One of the other teachers took my picture today because it is my last first day of school. There’s going to be no ‘next year’ for me. It still seems strange and it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.”
Grade 6 student Evyn Cross was also thinking about his “last of the firsts,” as this will be his final year at St. Francis before moving on to junior high next year.
“It’s just weird to think next year we are in junior high,” he says. “But today has been pretty easy. It’s great to see all my friends again. It’s just really laid back.”
Classmate Kara Robinson is excited by the challenging, new curriculum this year, and excited to have a regular routine again after a long, lazy summer.
“I like having stuff to do every day,” she states. “Waking up, eating your breakfast and knowing what you are doing all day instead of sitting on the couch watching TV. Today we’ve already heard what our subjects are going to be this year, like a little preview of what we are going to do in science and other classes. Some of the units seem really fun.”