Students return to class
The first day of prekindergarten at Thelma Parks Elementary School in northeast Oklahoma City didn’t go according to plan for little Don Juan Black.
Don Juan, 5, started to cry when he looked around Leslie Nelson’s classroom and didn’t see his cousin.
Turns out, Xzavier Griffith, also 5, was starting kindergarten down the hall.
“I think he thought Xzavier was going to be in class with him,” said Karisa
Willingham, Don Juan’s aunt.
Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Aurora Lora, who was visiting with students in Nelson’s classroom, tried to console the boy.
It did little good.
“I just asked him if he was OK,” Lora said before recalling that she cried “for like the first three weeks of kindergarten.”
Don Juan’s reaction, while not that unusual according to his teacher, set off a chain reaction of sorts. Another cousin, De’Arieon Thompson, started to cry. Mom De’Shay Currie followed suit and then backed out of the classroom while wiping tears from her eyes.
“He will calm down if he doesn’t see me,” Currie said. “He’ll forget about it and start playing.
“It hurts. My baby’s growing up.”
About 41,000 students returned to classrooms across Oklahoma’s largest district on a rainy Tuesday morning. Another 5,000 or so students who attend district charter schools are scheduled to return between Aug. 7-17, officials said.
Parents can still enroll their children if they haven’t already and can do so by visiting the school their child would attend or the district’s website.
At North Highland Elementary, 8400 N Robinson, one of 19 schools with a different principal, community members stood outside and exchanged high-fives with students as they arrived.
As recently as June 21, the school faced possible closure. Lora, however, changed her mind before the school board could consider the proposal and since has filled several teaching vacancies and staffed the school with a new principal, assistant principal, counselor and social worker.
For the most part Tuesday, a lengthy downpour did little to dampen the spirits of students, teachers and administrators at Parks, where kids were greeted by Pam Hibbs, the school’s new principal.
Parks, 1501 NE 30, is among the schools with a new leader. Hibbs, the district’s early childhood director, was named interim principal July 20.
In addition to North Highland, the district had to fill multiple teaching vacancies at Parks in the days leading up to Tuesday.
“It’s always exciting on the first day of school. Period. I love it, I get to be around kids all day,” said Hibbs, who worked out of the Parks building for a year and acted as principal to off-site prekindergarten teachers for several years.
In the school’s crowded cafeteria, children sampled scrambled eggs, cereal, apple slices, orange juice and chocolate milk at no cost, thanks to a federal program that subsidizes meals for schools and school districts in lowincome areas.
“I’m excited to see all of my friends,” said My’shaa Brown, 7, who sat down with a tray of food across from 7-year-old twins Tyrese and Tashonda Hawkins.
“We used to be in the same grade together,” My’shaa said.
She turned around and flashed her colorful Shopkins backpack.
“Feel the donuts,” she said, referring to the plush material on the backpack. “Isn’t it soft?”
Nearby, cafeteria supervisor Kristi Harris beamed with pride. Several children passed through the line Tuesday morning and greeted her with “Miss Kristi, we’ve missed you, we’ve missed you,” she said.
“I’ve raised these kids from (prekindergarten) to sixth grade, for the last six, seven years. I’ve raised generations of kids.”
Parent Carmon Williams said she was looking forward to a “new start, a fresh beginnings” for daughter Paige, a fourthgrader who aspires to be a chemist.
“We’ve met teachers; they seem to be experienced,” said Williams, a media center assistant at nearby Edwards Elementary School. “I already see a change, so I’m excited for that.”
Several community partners helped ease the burden for parents and teachers throughout the district by donating their time and money.
Nearly 20 people representing Restore OKC, a nonprofit group of volunteers from surrounding churches, were on hand to greet parents and children at Parks. The group provided free school supplies to parents and teachers.
“We’re here because we care about this community,” said Ernest Odunze, the group’s organizer. “Seeing a smile on a kid’s face or a parent’s face, knowing that there’s an extra burden taken off their shoulders, is awesome. It’s a great feeling.”
Lora, meanwhile, visited with children at five schools with new principals, including Roosevelt Middle School and Northwest Classen High, where she had lunch with students.
“Kids are happy. Teachers are happy. I think it’s going to be a great year,” she said. “Kids are excited to be back. Everyone loves summer, but sometimes you want to get back and see your friends and have things to do again.”
Lora reported only 35 teaching vacancies, down from nearly 140 last week. Of the district’s 2,500 teachers, 142 are working on emergency certificates, according to Beth Harrison, the district’s communications director.
In addition to teachers, the district is looking to hire six bus drivers. On Tuesday, 75 new buses were added to the district’s fleet but there were only 106 drivers to navigate 112 routes. Some drivers had to pull double duty, Harrison said.